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2012-02-10T08:24:00.001+10:30

Sunday 12th February, 2012 Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Sentence
A great prophet has arisen among us! God has visited His people Luke 7: 16

Collect
Ever-living God, Your Sin Jesus Christ healed the lepers and brought good news to the despised and outcast, grant us Your gifts of compassion and self-control, that in serving others in their need, we mat strive for the imperishable wreath that You bestow on all who truly love You; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson 2 Kings 5: 1 – 14

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.
Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy."
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me." But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel."
So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean."
But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!
Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, 'Wash, and be clean'?" So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

Psalm 30

I will exalt You O Lord, for You have drawn me up from the depths: and have not suffered my foes to triumph over me
O Lord my God I cried to You: and You have made me whole
You have brought me back, O Lord, from the land of silence: You saved my life from among those that go down to the Pit
Sing praises to the Lord, all you His faithful ones: and give thanks to His holy name
For if in His anger is havoc, in His good favour is life: heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning
In my prosperity I said, ‘I shall never be moved: Your goodness O Lord, has set me on so firm a hill.’
Then You hid Your face from me: and I was greatly dismayed
I cried to You O God: and made my petition humbly to my Lord
‘What profit is there in my blood if I go down to the Pit: can the dust give You thanks, or declare Your faithfulness?
Hear, O Lord, and be merciful: O Lord be my helper
You have turned my lamentation into dancing: You have put off my sackcloth and girded me with joy
That my heart may sing Your praise and never be silent: O Lord my God, I will give You thanks for ever.

Epistle 1 Corinthians 9: 24 – 27

Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.

GOSPEL Mark 1: 40 – 45

A leper came to Jesus begging Him, and kneeling he said to Him, "If you choose, you can make me clean."
Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!"
Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him Jesus sent him away at once,
saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a town openly, but stayed out in the country; and people came to Him from every quarter.
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
The story of Naaman should be well-known, albeit only to those who had a Sunday School in their youth. It is a odd cameo, for Aramaeans were never the flavour of the month for Israel. In Israel’s terms, Naaman was not only enemy but outcast because of leprosy. Mind you, it is to be imagined that he had to keep his infection to himself, for leprosy was feared by most cultures back then --- and for millennia to come.
Of greater interest is the intervention of the little Jewish slave girl, a nonentity to Naaman and his family, who offered an answer to the illness. Pride and ego looked likely to keep the General from relief, until one of his underlings dares to suggest a little humility.
One needs to read on in 2 Kings 5, for while the prophet was not interested in any recompense for the healing, someone else was – and brought a bitter taste to everyone’s mouth. This is a fascinating picture into the way in which something good can be destroyed by veniality of people. So easily is some good thing rendered evil by sheer and utter selfishness.

Psalm
Psalms are often a great source of advice in how to respond to life’s disasters; and here is just one of those. It appears that the author found enormous difficulties in front of him, and through prayer sought significant answers. I find it interesting that the author almost debated with God, wondering how God could be glorified if he was consigned to the Pit! Who would be around to point to God then? Whatever, the situation was improved for the person, and his rejoicing was a result. It is not always so, one must remark – but there will be answers to those who look for them, even these days.

Epistle
Quite clearly, the Apostle underlined the need for discipline ... in being a disciple! (Same root for each word, obviously.) In our own day and age, discipline tends to be a dirty word, but one is left having to point to the need for it. Lack of discipline, even among Christian disciples, tends to be a mark of the present and is a disturbingly destructive way of life.

GOSPEL
Both first and last lessons today refer to lepers – but in a way the medicine of today has demolished so much of the fear of this disease that we tend to have lost quite something of the impact of the tales.
Isn’t it a little strange that this leper raised the question of Jesus’ willingness to heal? I wonder why that was, except that any contact by any healthy person with any leper would have resulted in strict isolation of both persons! Whilst there were reasons for that, it is very touching to notice how Jesus stepped over such boundaries for the sake of the infected person. Leprosy was a long-term ailment at that time, which resulted in that long-term isolation. No one to talk to; no one to embrace; it is easy to feel your way into the sterility of the isolation, is it not. What a stark and lonely life those people lived; until Jesus came along.
One can only feel for the man who raced off to tell the world. Jesus’ problem was, simply put, that He was not there to be ogled at, or lionised – He was there to point to life as it was meant to be. Humans have a stupid capacity to embrace the stunning, and miss the reality.
Anyone involved in the Faith will know the extent to which that is true.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

I wonder if it is as much a shock to you as it is to me to find that many people who profess and call themselves Christian have little or no regard for the challenges that such a profession calls them to. How often I have found a clear and deliberate determination to be remarkably self-centred or just as determined to avoid the reality of the Faith. Small wonder that people turn from the Church when such ill-considered choices become clear, or such closed-mind pigheadedness is on display. It was naive of me, I confess, but when newly ordained, I was sure that people in congregations would respond with joy and commitment as soon as they understood the dimensions and directions of the Faith. Silly me! Most of the time, the only response from people was that they buried their heads in the sand so to speak.

One should not have been at all surprised at this! First of all, a close look at the history of Israel and its clear and wilful determination to head in its own direction runs right through the story from beginning to end. It drove the prophets up the wall, and must have done much of the same to Israel’s Lord. In more recent times, I remain convinced that part of our more recent problem is that the Faith is presented, far far too often as one’s God-given escape from ‘future punishment’ – and if you stop to think about it, that is the most impoverished reason for ‘believing’ anyhow. Very poor theology gushes from far too many pulpits these days; and what scares me even more, is the way in which that populist rubbish seems to be overtaking the more ‘sensible’ denominations.

Miracle-focus does not help much either. And that can so often be the response from readings such as today. Healing of lepers! And why do not we have the gift of waving magic wands over people? The answer is obvious immediately. The focus of people would be on ‘me’ instead of on Christ. And how often does that occur these days? Forget miracle, I often say to people (who delight in misunderstanding my reasons): focus on what is being pointed out to you. And what is that?

The focus is on lepers in that day and age. Lepers were outcast, unclean, untouchable, out-of-sight and out-of-mind. That is the focus. There are great mobs of people in every day and age who live – or is that survive? – on the edges of society – or fall through the net so that they are invisible. And those are the sorts of people whom Jesus cared for in so much of His ministry. And calls us to head in the same path.

Now do you see why so many ‘Christians’ rather hide behind a sort of religiosity and conservatism instead of sticking their necks out for other less fortunate people?

We have a Lord Who went out of His way for those on the edges. Pretty people were never His focus because they tend to see no further than their noses. Of course, following Christ is a rather uncomfortable path to travel, and disconcerting, and pretty people tend to be concerned about appearances. Not so with Jesus.

What an uncomfortable start for a sermon, but I bet you can explore further than this from such readings. How about having a go at it!

2012-02-10T08:23:00.000+10:30

Sunday 12th February 2012
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome.
Sunday School has resumed in slightly altered state

Collect for Epiphany
Everliving God, Your Son, Jesus Christ, healed the lepers and brought good news to the despised and outcast: grant us Your gifts of compassion and self-control, that in serving others in their need we may strive for the imperishable wreath that You bestow on all who truly love You; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS
Readings 2 Kings 5: 1—14 & 1 Cor. 9: 24—27 read by Eric D
Gospel Mark 1: 40—45
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Hal S-C
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Olive Marston, Lynda Knight, Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Bryan Baker: Jake and Gail. Michelle in NY also. Eddie Barber is battling again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Liz Davies
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Barbara and David Corbett, Allan and Kate Jennings
YEAR’S MIND— Arleen Joyce Charlick (2008), Walter Marston (2001) Anne Gladstone Bills (2009), Jack Stauner

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Transfiguration
Readings 2 Kings 2: 1—12 & 2 Corinthians 4: 3—12
Gospel Mark 9: 2—9

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am Wednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - next meeting on 16th February at 2.00pm at the Church
The topic is ’travel with Paul Hilbig’ -always enjoyable and informative, and all are welcome. Margaret Pressley 8278 4427
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Cynthia Macintosh or Don Caddy
Sunday after Jill Hilbig or Joy Campbell
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Iris D Intercessor Max A
Sunday after Reader John F Intercessor Don B
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Sue D-T Brass Joan Durdin
Cleaning Group 5

Ecumenical Lenten Studies
Every second year the South Australian Council of Churches organises Lenten Studies. The Mitcham Hills Inter-Church Council is co-ordinating groups in this area. This year the title is "Fast, pray, give and receive". Material can be downloaded from the SACC website (www.sacc.asn.au) and Registration Forms are available at church. Interdenominational groups will begin in the week of 27th February. Please consider joining in these Lenten discussions. They provide opportunity for you to meet up with local people from other denominations and learn from each other.
Also Warren is doing studies using ‘Language of Love, a book available at a price either through the Parish or on line. More details available on a paper in the narthex.
No plans are in hand for any Treasure Mart this year.
World Day of Prayer - early notice that this event will take place at 10.00am on Friday 2nd March at the Blackwood Church of Christ. All welcome. More details later
THANK YOU NOTE ......
In the height of summer the church gardens flourish. Trees that have become a fire hazard are gently dealt with. Leaves that choke gutters and drains disappear like magic. Our thanks go to Craig, his good wife, and his other helpers, particularly Wayne and Trevor. Don Baker

Bush Church Aid Society AGM 3 March: Christ Church North Adelaide Lunch at 12 noon. $15 per head Guest Speaker: The new National Director Rev'd Dr. Mark Short
RSVP by 22 Feb to Helen or Vivien 8351 5950 or sa@bushchurchaid .com.au

ST. BARNABAS COLLEGE SUBJECTS
The college offers the opportunity for people to sit in on some of the subjects available. Those auditing receive reading materials, attend lectures and participate in discussion. There is no requirement for written work. This is a great opportunity to broaden one’s mind and deepen one’s faith. Applications close at the end of February. Cost is $175.00 per subject. Discounts for groups or seniors. Flyers available in the Church or phone Jayne Taylor on 8426 8442 or email jtaylor@sbtc.org.au
Matthew Anstey
ABM Information
We draw attention to the following activities in the coming months :
1. Preparation of palm crosses. We have been able to help the diocesan committee of ABM in recent years by making palm crosses in excess of those needed for our own church on Palm Sunday and to St John’s School. For every 100 palm crosses, the diocesan committee receives $30.00. Three parishioners have already volunteered for this crafty activity, and other helpers will be welcome. Instruction is available for newcomers. The effort will take place during the first weeks of Lent (which begins on Ash Wednesday 22 February). If you would like to help, please contact Joan Durdin (8178 0704).
2. Supply of palm fronds to make palm crosses. Joan would be glad to know of sources of good clean palm fronds. One frond usually makes about 50 crosses.
3. The Diocesan Committee has arranged for the sale of Spring Bulbs, which can be ordered on a form on the notice board in the hall. I will collect the money for the bulbs you order, and will send the form back to ABM at the end of February. There is not much time to make your decision about bulbs for your garden but the order form is self explanatory. If you need advice, please contact JD.
4. On the first Sunday in Lent you will be invited to take an envelope for your six weekly Lenten Offerings. You are encouraged to bring the envelope with all weekly offerings to church on Easter Day.
Our Lenten offerings are token of our acknowledgement of the ABM’s commitment to promote love, hope and justice throughout the world.

RONBLOG …… on today’s Readings
I wonder if it is as much a shock to you as it is to me to find that many people who profess and call themselves Christian have little regard for the challenges to which such a profession calls them? So often I have found a clear and deliberate determination to be remarkably self-centred or just as determined to avoid the reality of the Faith. Small wonder that people turn from the Church!
When newly ordained, I was sure that people in congregations would respond with joy and commitment as soon as they understood the dimensions and directions of the Faith. Silly me! Most of the time, the only response from people was that they buried their heads in the sand so to speak.
One should not have been at all surprised at this! First of all, take a close look at the history of Israel and its clear and wilful determination to head in its own direction; this runs right through the story from beginning to end. It drove the prophets up the wall, and must have done much of the same to Israel’s Lord. In more recent times, I remain convinced that part of our more recent problem is that the Faith is presented, far far too often as one’s God-given escape from punishment or perhaps just a safety blanket! In either case they are most impoverished reasons for ‘believing’ anyhow. Very poor theology gushes from far too many pulpits—and hymns! - these days; and what scares me even more, is the way in which that populist rubbish seems to be overtaking even some of the more ‘sensible’ denominations.
Miracle-focus does not help much either. Whiz-bang alakazam is no help to anyone in any situation, now is it! Do you know of quick-fixes that work?

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoons please …….

RonBlog

2012-02-03T13:02:00.001+10:30

Sunday 5th February 2012 Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

Sentence
Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles.
Isaiah 40:31
Collect
Saving God, Whose Son, Jesus Christ, healed the sick and brought them wholeness of body and mind; inspire us, His disciples, so that we may constantly proclaim His gospel by our words and by the dedication and integrity of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Isaiah 40: 21- 31

Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He Who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in; who brings princes to naught, and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.
Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows upon them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. To whom then will you compare me, or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: Who created these? He who brings out their host and numbers them, calling them all by name; because he is great in strength, mighty in power, not one is missing.
Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, and my right is disregarded by my God"? Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

Psalm 147: 1 – 11

O praise the Lord, for it is a good thing to sing praises to our God: and to praise Him is joyful and right
The Lord is rebuilding Jerusalem: He is gathering tougher the scattered outcasts of Israel
He heals the broken in spirit: and binds up their wounds
He counts the number of the stars: and calls them all by name
Great is our Lord and great is His power: there is no measuring His understanding
The Lord restores the humble: but He brings down the wicked to the dust
O sing to the Lord a song of thanksgiving: sing praises to our God upon the harp
He covers the heaven with a cloud and prepares rain for the earth: and makes the grass to sprout upon the mountains
He gives the cattle their food: and feeds the young ravens that call to Him
He takes no pleasure in the strength of a horse: nor does He delight in anyone’s legs
But the Lord’s delight is in them that fear Him: who wait in hope for His mercy.

Epistle 1 Corinthians 9: 16 – 23

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
Though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law) so that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.

GOSPEL Mark 1: 29 – 39

As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.
That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." He answered, "Let us go on to the neighbouring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do." And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
How I long to take people on a study tour of (Second) Isaiah to enter into the enormous and broad vision that this prophet has of JHWH. When I first discovered this book, it took me on so steep a learning curve that it has stayed with me ever since –and that is something like 55 years.
Stop and realize, first and foremost, that this prophet was writing from harsh and total exile in Babylon. Hundreds of miles away from home; nation, city and Temple destroyed – and to all intents and purposes God was dead, Kaput. Zilch. Zero. Ask indigenous people how it feels when all the old and reliable certainties are undermined and gone. That is how the exiles felt, an attitude underlined by (then) popular ‘theology,’ that taught that if a god’s temple has been destroyed, then it is obvious that that particular god was powerless – therefore non-existent. So how in the name of all that is wonderful did Isaiah go so strikingly against then current trends? Was he off with the fairies, or did he really have something to offer?
One can make an assumption that Isaiah’s contribution to the rationale behind the Exile experience first of all required a far wider, broader perception of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob than seemed in circulation.. It would appear that the prophet gained an understanding of where JHWH was taking His people by looking back to see from where God had so far brought Israel. It was a long-term vision with which Isaiah was able to point to a rather more sure and settled future, and in fact to understand the Faith far more clearly and precisely. It is part of the genius of (Second) Isaiah that he was able to point his people to a far more certain future because he could also point them to a far more significant vision of God.

All too readily, people of all ages and stages present themselves with an image of God that they can manage; a sort of comfort blanket but it will last only as long as the issues they face can be explained by that ‘blanket.’ Anything beyond that leads to loss of faith. Whilst that assumption is that they lose faith in God; the reality is that they have lost faith in their blanket. And that has to be a good thing, do you see?
The prophet’s answer was to dilate Israel’s picture of JHWH, not only in terms of His capacity to cope, but in illustrating Who God is by what surrounds them. If the cosmos is huge, the God is huger. In fact if you were to imagine looking at humans from God’s perspective, so to speak, then you begin to see humans in proper size. Grasshoppers!
And it is not only from a cosmos perspective: Isaiah takes people on a history lesson, pointing out how short and shallow are tyrants’ turns as boss of the chook house. One of the failings we humans have is to look only from where we sit, from what affects us, from what is immediate. A moment’s look at the wider picture offers a far more significant approach to all manner of things. In other words, Isaiah takes quite a swipe at poor, snivelling Israel and suggests a burst of maturity. It really is a kick in the pants for Israel, well-deserved and well-aimed. Self pity is a very destructive element in human thought; get real is what the prophet points to.

Psalm
This psalm is quite obviously post-exilic, written quite some time after the words of the Old Testament lesson, and it looks as if the psalmist is standing on the shoulders of the prophet, so to speak, and offering the same ‘get on with it’ message. I long remember almost exploding, as a little choir boy, on singing this psalm way back in the ‘40s and ‘50s, and echoing those words about the Lord not taking delight in any man’s legs. It is a lovely touch of humour.

Epistle
The Apostle must have been a delightful mixture of human and saint. He would have been most difficult to live with, as we have seen earlier. But he also had a mind as sharp as steel. Like many prophets before him, he was painfully aware of the drive within to preach the Gospel; and he was just as painfully aware of the fact that what he preached and taught needed to be relevant, needed to be clearly tangible to his listeners and readers, and needed to fit them, individually if necessary, for all we humans are so wonderfully different. ‘All things to all men’ – the AV reading of this passage – is a process that all Christians need to embrace, for any short-cut that tries to ‘technique’ people into faith is as useless as it is foolish. Meet people where they are; not where you would like them to be.

GOSPEL
Who would or could take on the role of being Jesus? Such a demanding situation for anyone to be in, and yet He took it all in His stride; but He also needed some space and time for Himself. It is a fascinating picture of Peter and his mother-in-law, a picture avoided by part of the Christian Church which requires celibacy from its clergy! Actually that pressure came, not from the Christian Faith, but from a rather sad diversion of around that time, the Gnostics.

But as from the outset, Jesus was concerned by people whose life-experiences had reduced their humanity, reduced their capacity to reach the personhood they were designed to express. And that is quite a significant part of what the Gospel points us to constantly. And never forget it. Salvation is not just ‘getting to heaven.’ Salvation (Greek soteria) has to do with completeness of person, room to move, freedom from imposed power-structures. Health!

NOTES FOR A SERMON

If ever you feel concern that a preacher is asking you to stretch beyond where you are now, please do see that this should be a constant experience for Christians. While the Almighty does not change, it is imperative that each Christian’s perception needs to be on a learning curve, right up to the end of one’s life.
I well remember the experience when, as a theological student I was confronted with the stunning vision of God vouchsafed to Isaiah. What struck me most of all was not so much the enormous picture of the Creator, but that God was using the vicissitudes of history to get a significant if severe message across to His people. God at work in history was a complete new possibility to me, who thought he had known a fair bit about Scripture. And the point is that this aspect of God-at-work did not end with Isaiah or even with John’s Revelation. Once I can see where and how God works in Isaiah’s time, I can begin to see how He works in my own period. What is most stunning to me is that, in spite of Israel’s constant rebellion and failure, God remained true to His covenant, and ‘hung in there.’ Not a bad lesson for moderns to catch sight of, either.
The simple exercise of working your way through Isaiah 40 onwards, to Chapter 66 if you dare, is well worth the effort. It helps to be aware of the severe hardship for Israel at that time, slaves under house arrest in a strange and alien land. There was no chance of raising an army to break and return home, and there was no chance of building a Temple in Babylon nor of carrying on the old forms of worship. It was not just a matter of losing their Book of Common Prayer – it was a matter of giving up entirely, or of finding new and relevant methods of worship and of retaining culture and faith. Powerless, futureless, hopeless.
But not from where Isaiah sat! We have long been used to the lack of statesmen in our country; fortunately Israel had three people of Isaiah status – there was also Jeremiah and Ezekiel. And nothing but encouraging words and actions sprang from those gems, and most of it had to do with getting a clearer picture of Yahweh. Not just their tribal god; not just one of the great gods of the time. But the only one there is, and Who was there in the pooh with them.
It would be worthwhile taking long hard looks at Isaiah’s word pictures of the same God you worship; being compared to the gods and goddesses of the Babylonians, in huge mockery actually. As Babylon itself was threatened by an upstart king from the north east, Cyrus by name, Isaiah mocked the living daylights out of those idols. Here was Yahweh carrying Israel, and all the Babylonians could do was to load their idols onto donkeys to cart them off to some sort of safety. ‘Bow down to wood and stone? What sort of idiocy is that?
History proved the prophet correct; not because of some sort of star-gazing, but because Isaiah caught sight of what God was doing and how and why! Here was no cottonwool protection for Israel, but a going through the fires of purification, so that the precious metal of the nation would be produced. No pain, no gain! It is true in Football; it is true in real life.

2012-02-03T13:01:00.000+10:30

Saturday 5th February 2012
Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome. Sunday School has resumed in slightly altered state

Collect for Epiphany III
Saving God, Whose Son, Jesus Christ, healed the sick and brought them wholeness of body and mind; inspire us, His disciples, so that we may constantly proclaim His gospel by our words and by the dedication and integrity of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

TODAY’S READINGS Epiphany V read by Vanessa
Readings Isaiah 40: 21—31 & 1 Corinthians 9: 16—23
GOSPEL Mark 1: 29—39
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Warren
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Olive Marston, Lynda Knight, Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Bryan Baker: Michelle, Jake and Gail.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Neal & Sharon Barber
YEAR’S MIND— Sylvia McDonald (1994) Bette Tickle (2002) Michael Bingham (2005) Gordon Hannaford (1994) Shirley Burdett (2003), Alice Mary Moore (2010) Alfred Barber (2003)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Epiphany VI
Readings 2 Kings 5: 1—14 & 1 Cor. 9: 24—27
Gospel Mark 1: 40—45

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10amWednesdays at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome
MOTHERS’ UNION - next meeting on 16th February at 2.00pm at the Church
The topic is ’travel with Paul Hilbig’ -always enjoyable and informative, and all are welcome. Margaret Pressley 8278 4427
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Min Araki or Ron Keynes
Sunday after Cynthia Macintosh or Don Caddy

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Eric D Intercessor Hal S-C
Sunday after Reader Iris D Intercessor Max A

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Anna Kelly Brass Margaret Carruthers
Cleaning Group 4

Ecumenical Lenten Studies
Every second year the South Australian Council of Churches organises Lenten Studies. The Mitcham Hills Inter-Church Council is co-ordinating groups in this area. This year the title is "Fast, pray, give and receive".
Material can be downloaded from the SACC website (www.sacc.asn.au) and Registration Forms are available at church. Interdenominational groups will begin in the week of 27th February. Please consider joining in these Lenten discussions. They provide opportunity for you to meet up with local people from other denominations and learn from each other. David Hall
Warren has indicated that he is doing studies using a book, available at a price either through the Parish or on line. More details later.

Thanks to all who contributed to last Sunday’s Australia Day celebration and barbecue, and further thanks to those who brought Oz items for the display., A lot of thought went into those items.

Sunday School Notes
A note of encouragement for support given to the Children’s Ministry: funds raised by recycling bottles etc. has more than doubled last year—over $250! Thanks all!

RONBLOG …… on today’s Old Testament Lesson
If ever you feel concerned that a preacher is asking you to stretch beyond where you are now, please do see that this should be a constant experience for Christians. While the Almighty does not change, it is imperative that each Christian’s perception needs to be on a learning curve, right up to the end of one’s life.
I well remember the experience when, as a theological student I was confronted with the stunning vision of God vouchsafed to Isaiah. What struck me most of all was not so much the enormous picture of the Creator, but that God was working in the vicissitudes of history to get a significant if severe message across to His people. God at work in history was a complete new possibility to me, who thought I had known a fair bit about Scripture but also had grown up in the attitude that ‘religion was private and personal.’
The point is that this aspect of God-at-work-in-His-world did not end with Isaiah or even with John’s Revelation. Once I can see where and how God works in Isaiah’s time, I can begin to see how He works in my own period. What is most stunning to me is that, in spite of Israel’s constant rebellion and failure, God remained true to His covenant, and ‘hung in there.’ Not a bad lesson for moderns to catch sight of, either.
The simple exercise of working your way through Isaiah 40 onwards, to Chapter 66 if you dare, is well worth the effort. It helps to be aware of the severe hardship for Israel at that time, slaves under house arrest in a strange and alien land. There was no chance of raising an army to break and return home, and there was no chance of building a Temple in Babylon nor of carrying on the old forms of worship. It was not just a matter of losing their Book of Common Prayer – it was a matter of giving up entirely, or of finding new and relevant methods of worship and of retaining culture and faith. Powerless, futureless, hopeless.
But not from where Isaiah sat! We have long been used to the lack of statesmen in our country; fortunately Israel had three people of Isaiah status – there was also Jeremiah and Ezekiel. And nothing but encouraging words and actions sprang from those gurus, and most of it had to do with getting a clearer picture of Yahweh. Not just their tribal god; not just one of the great gods of the time. But the only one there is, and the God Who was there in the pooh with them.
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Bush Church Aid Society AGM 3 March: Christ Church North Adelaide. Lunch at 12 noon. $15 per head Guest Speaker: The new National Director Rev'd Dr. Mark Short
RSVP by 22 Feb to Helen or Vivien 8351 5950 or sa@bushchurchaid .com.au

RonBlog

2012-01-26T17:37:00.000+10:30

Sunday 29th January 2012 Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

Sentence
Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. Matthew 9: 35

Collect
O Lord, You have taught us that all our doings without love are worth nothing; send Your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of love, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before You; grant this for Your only Son, Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Deuteronomy 18: 15 – 20

The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: "If I hear the voice of the LORD my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die."
Then the LORD replied to me: "They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak--that prophet shall die."

Psalm 111

O praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart: in the company of the upright and among the congregation
The works of the Lord are great: and studied by all who take delight in them
His deeds are majestic and glorious: and His righteousness stands for ever.
His marvellous acts have won Him a name to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and merciful
He gives food to those who fear Him: He remembers His covenant for ever
He showed His people the power of His acts: in giving them the heritage of the heathen.
The works of His hands are faithful and just: and all His commandments are sure
They stand firm for ever and ever: they are done in faithfulness and in truth
He sent redemption to His people, He ordained His covenant for ever; Holy is His name and worthy to be feared.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and of good understanding are those who keep His commandments: His praise shall endure for ever.

Epistle 1 Corinthians 8: 1 – 13

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him. Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "no idol in the world really exists," and that "there is no God but one." Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as in fact there are many gods and many lords-- yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
"Food will not bring us close to God." We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do.
But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

GOSPEL Mark 1: 21 – 28

They went to Capernaum; and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God." But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent, and come out of him!" And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, "What is this? A new teaching--with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him." At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Old Testament
This book of Deuteronomy (Lit Second Law) is almost certainly a later edition or redaction of the earlier Torah, and tends to trace the story of Israel from Moses on. Here, too, Moses is the focus, and – perhaps a little oddly to us – is described as a prophet. What is to be noticed, surely, is the nature of the emphasis being placed upon any future prophet or attempted prophet to remain totally true to Israel’s God in whatever he (or she) declares to be the Word God speaks. Obviously, there is no room for straying from the truth. The penalty for such - as described here – in extinction. One does not muck about with God in those Old Testament times – nor even now, come to that, but for different reasons.

Psalm
If you like to see it this way, here we have a view of the faith and if Israel’s God from a slightly different angle. There is no imposition of fear of repercussions, but a celebration of what is regarded as obvious truth. The psalmist is celebrating the clear and obvious value of the divine revelation of commandments and statutes. The last verse of this psalm should be quite well known, and the value of it is obvious, surely.

Epistle
As the new faith spread into what was clearly Gentile territory, adherents encountered all sorts of issues and problems far less likely in Israel. There the kosher food laws tended to be kept by everyone; but the food laws did not apply in Corinth. (In fact, it may have been hard to find any laws that were kept there. Corinth was – is! – a sea port and they are notorious places for law-breaking (or at least avoidance.)
If you were in a position to afford meat, the only place such an item was available was at the local (pagan) temples. That meant that the food had first been offered to idols! For many Christians that was an enormous no-no, and obviously the division between the sterner folk and those less affected was becoming hardened. Such matters easily become an issue of division between those truly faithful and those somewhat on the edges. And that was the real problem.
Notice how carefully and lovingly the Apostle helped people around the problem. Whilst this issue is a non-event these days, the process is one well worth attention and acting upon. There is often the need to activate this process in situations that arise these days.

GOSPEL
Before we get anywhere, please notice something of interest. Would you not have described this incident as ‘miracle?’ Yet Mark mentions it as ‘teaching.’ It is important to see that miracles are not so much something to be believed, as they are to be learnt from, understood, and taken hold of. Here, in the synagogue (where he should not have been if the purists had had their way) was a man who because of his ailment was considered totally unclean and not worthy of anyone’s attention. As far as I am aware, any ailment, disease or disability considered outside the range of current medicine was considered evil. By association, the sufferer was likewise evil. Ostracism was the only outcome.
That Jesus should have ignored such well-known prohibitions would have raised the ire of the authorities – which was only to be expected. But for our Lord, the plight of the poor man was something that cried out for attention and correction. That is the nature of the Lord Whom we serve.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

In our own day and age, illnesses are seen not as a result of people sinning, but rather as an outcome of viruses or other intrusions into the human body. As a result, there is far less likelihood of assumptions that people deserve the ailment or disease from which they suffer. Certainly it has to be said that certain courses of action are likely to provide self-inflicted illness. When my wife was nursing quite some decades ago, sunburn was regarded as self-inflicted, and sympathy was not likely to be offered by other Hospital staff.
But place yourself in the position of those to whom Jesus ministered, and you had not only a largely ineffective medical understanding of illness, but a profoundly moral (or should that be immoral?) outcome for the victim. As mentioned above, to top it all off, anything considered to be outside the range of normal medical intervention was classified as demon-possession, which would rate the sufferer as beyond the pale, and deserving of whatever difficulty can their way.
Two issues arise for me in all this: the first is that there remains a large number of Christians still convinced that illness is God’s punishment on sin. The second is a wider issue, and that is the strange business of Christians being rather too unaware of the ramifications of their faith. The Kingdom is one of these issues.

About the first, may I ask you to come with me on an exploration of Scripture, starting not in the New Testament but the Old. I do not know at what time in Hebrew history that ancient Book of Job was written, but it has to be a very long way back. In fact the existence of the book is an early and powerful statement that the Hebrew Faith is the result of people looking at life issues and trying to find answers in order that the picture of God, of JHWH, may be truer and more complete.
The story of Job, it would seem, is only partially known and even less partially understood. But there – in a very long-drawn-out debate and discussion, - is the clear perception that the central person in the story came to the conclusion that illness and sin had no connection whatever. His so-called ‘comforters’ were terribly holy and convinced otherwise, but God their come-uppance from God Himself. So did Mrs. Job, - who tended to be part of the problem! Instead of trying to write a commentary on Job here and now, I suggest that you get a good Commentary (not easily done!) and study the book for yourself.
I have reported before the experience with my uncle, during my College years, of trying to find God’s answer to his mouth cancer, which took his life not long after. It was a strained and searching business, and while there was no answer to ‘why,’ like Job in that book, we both came to the situation where before that, Uncle had ‘heard of God by reputation, he now saw Him face to face and was content.’ I could offer other tales of learning curves from that old book, so get in touch if you wish.
Not only is that clear statement in the Old Testament, there is of course also that stunning episode in John’s Gospel Chapter 9. This particular issue was faced then with stunning directness by Jesus, Who refuted the then (and still!) current perception that ailments and illness was punishment for sin. Once again I suggest that this passage be read and pondered – and interestingly the real focus of this cameo has to do with responding to the truth .... about anything.

And that is another factor concerning which the Kingdom issue is highly significant.

RonBlog

2012-01-20T08:27:00.000+10:30

Sunday 22nd January, 2012 Third Sunday after Epiphany

Sentence
The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the Gospel.
Mark 1: 15

Collect
Bountiful God, through Your Son You call us to repent of our sins, to believe the good news, and to celebrate the coming of Your Kingdom; teach us to hear the call to discipleship, and to proclaim the gospel of new life to a broken world; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Jonah 3: 1 – 10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying, "Get up, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you." So Jonah set out and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly large city, a three days' walk across. Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's walk. And he cried out, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast, and everyone, great and small, put on sackcloth.
When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. Then he had a proclamation made in Nineveh: "By the decree of the king and his nobles: No human being or animal, no herd or flock, shall taste anything. They shall not feed, nor shall they drink water. Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth, and they shall cry mightily to God. All shall turn from their evil ways and from the violence that is in their hands. Who knows? God may relent and change his mind; he may turn from his fierce anger, so that we do not perish."
When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

Psalm 62: 5 – 12

My soul, wait in silence for God: for from Him comes my hope
He only is my rock and my salvation: my strong tower so that I shall not be moved
In God is my deliverance and my glory: God is my strong rock and my shelter
Trust in Him at all times O my people: pour out your hearts before Him for God is our refuge.
The children of Adam are but breath, the children of earth are a lie: place them in the scales and they fly upward, they are as light as air
Put no trust in extortion do not grow worthless by robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart upon them
God has spoken once, twice I have heard Him say: that power belongs to God
That to the Lord belongs a constant goodness: For you reward each one of us according to our deeds.

Epistle 1 Corinthians 7: 29 – 31

I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

GOSPEL Mark 1: 14 – 20

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.
© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Actually, if you look at today’s readings you may be forgiven for wondering quite why this particular selection has been chosen. It is a remarkably disparate choice, so we will have to make the best of it – mind you, you may well be rather more imaginative than me.

Old Testament
For donkey’s years now (over 60 actually) this strange little tale has brought me quite some joy as I observe the author’s attempts to get old Israel to look right past its hang-ups and bigotry. This is not history, as the author makes quite clear as the story unfolds. It is not presented as a miracle, that business of the fish, but a tale of how far people will go to avoid what they know to be true but cannot bear it.

In commentators terms, this is an anti-separatist tract, getting Israel to see that its determination to keep Gentiles out of the picture was not a requirement from God, but rather a determination of their own lack of vision. Jonah is sent to the pagan city of Nineveh to preach to the inhabitants, and does a most unJewish thing when he heads to sea instead. (Jews and vast bodies of water never seem to have mixed, as water of that size tends to be the image and icon of evil.
Here the blinking Ninevites repent, which got up Jonah’s nose, which parallels the Pharisaic response to Jesus’ ministry. Please see this odd little tale as a challenge to anyone who holds tightly to bigotry of any sort, particularly religious bigotry. The Kingdom is not, REPEAT NOT made of these.

Psalm
It has to be said that sometimes, psalms are notoriously difficult to follow and understand. However, I suspect that if you have lived under extreme pressure from evil people or corrupt government, you may be better able to enter into the writer’s dilemma. How does one stand up straight when all the pressure is otherwise.
Under such circumstances, God Himself tends to be the only bulwark – and awareness of the support of the Life-giving Almighty is enormously encouraging to keep going regardless.

Epistle
Pardon me being naughty, but I have absolutely no idea why this snippet is included in readings. If it is designed to show that Paul was not always at his wisest, then OK. If it is meant to get people to check what they read against wider reality, OK.
From my knowledge of the Apostle, he had to be (a) 30, (b) married and (c) a Pharisee to be part of the Sanhedrin, all of which occurred before his conversion. One suspects that said marriage was far from contented and did not last. Quite a number of commentators have decided that Paul was misogynist, but the reality is that he certainly would have been very hard to live with. Most perfectionists are like that.
As I have mentioned elsewhere, also, Paul – like most of the Infant Church – expected the Parousia, the Return of our Lord – to occur within a fairly brief period of time, as Paul’s early writings seem to indicate. The passage of time in that first century tended to widen that view, so that John’s Revelation expresses the view that any such Parousia is a long way off. A thousand years! Not a literal amount, but when 10 is a lot, 10 x 10 is a hell of a lot, and 10 x 10 x 10 is an excruciatingly large amount, then you get the picture.

GOSPEL
Perhaps it is a helpful thing to look at this ‘Kingdom.’ If one has wondered what it is all about the easiest and clearest way is to compare human kingdoms (or nations or empires etc.,) with what is unfolded in the Gospels. Almost exclusively, ordinary human kingdoms are built on the egos of strong people, usually men but not always. And the power generated is designed to force or cajole hoi polloi into conforming to whatever pattern the ‘king’ desires. Try living through Hitler’s Germany, or Idi Amin’s Uganda. Mind you, it has to be said that even democracy (not a divine institution I may gently remind readers; it is Greek!) bears many of the hallmarks of those regimes described above. Force, even if only emotional, is the usual means of conformity.
The Kingdom of God operates on a very different level, a level to which all followers are called to illustrate in life, decision making and experience. Here love is the only ‘compulsion,’ and truth, integrity, justice and compassion the guiding lights and principles. It does not take a great deal of imagination to see that while outcomes of the Kingdom of God will be very different, the process will take a lot longer than if/when people are forced to conform. It is not hard to see, either, the ‘power’ tends to be the aphrodisiac for humans, even though it will almost invariably destroy them given time. Read about Australia’s leadership struggles over recent years. We humans are not a bright lot, now are we?

NOTES FOR A SERMON
It was many years ago now, at a Bible Study Group in the parish where I was then working, and the question was about the Kingdom of God. (Heaven if you are reading Matthew’s Gospel.) I had asked where/ what a person would find this Kingdom, and it was my father who replied that it would not be until one died that the Kingdom would be found. It came as a great surprise to him and others that evening, that the Kingdom was and is far more immediate. For the Kingdom is present whenever the will of God is being carried out, when a person or people are responding to God in their actions and reactions to others.
You will recall some comments of Jesus, from time to time. He spoke of a rich man being ‘close to the kingdom,’ for his response to people and to life was genuine and helpful. But rather too often, a limited view of God at work has a rather narrower perception that tends to ignore the realities. Perhaps it is because this Gospel snippet for today includes that business of ‘repenting’ – which can be a block for some folk.
Come on a journey with me if you will – starting off with a comparison between ordinary kingdoms of Jesus’ day, and the other one of which He spoke. Whenever one gets to the nitty-gritty of human kingdoms (or other forms of leadership or control or whatever) the sight is not a pretty one. Only this morning I read in the Saturday Advertiser insert of the political assassination of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister – and quite something of the treachery surrounding that vicious action. If there is one thing that kingdoms past and present illustrate so often, it is that the human ego tends to flourish right at the centre of it all. So often Presidents and other leaders reflect the same go-getting attitude and such people do not care very much whose toes they step on to get their own way. In some rather horrible cases, opponents’ very lives are in danger and are often lost in the struggle. The motives may be about raw power, or perhaps wealth and control. One is hard-put to find, in the history of any kingdom, or empire or even country, to find much in the way of altruism or caring, sharing or concern. Usually, the longer the person or clique is in power, the more rugged is the treatment of the subjects, and the disregard of the realities.
When it comes to the Kingdom of God, the picture is radically different. The best and most significant picture of that Kingdom is found in the life and ministry of Jesus. There was a Person true to the Father, and just as true to people around Him. There was a Person quite unafraid to step over the boundaries of accepted practices, especially when those practices bound people within limits totally unacceptable. People operating under social or spiritual outcast situations seemed to be a magnet for our Lord, not to thumb the nose at the culture, but to ensure no ostracism remained against such folk. It was a matter of the ancient verities of truth, integrity and compassion being recognized and acted upon, regardless of the control enforced by the ruling leadership. This approach was such a different one, such a controversial one, that it all stood out like the proverbial sore thumb! And it was a total and complete reproach to the existing culture. Small wonder that Jesus was executed!
So where does repentance come into this? The answer is simple but stunning.
More often than not, whenever repentance is referred to these days, it has to do with the attempt to make someone feel guilty, and in need of redemption. Sin has so often been used as a threat to induce people to become Christian. Sadly so much of that approach misses the point entirely. My own experience, donkey’s years ago now, was along those lines, for as a young teenager I knew I had all sorts of naughty thoughts about the fairer sex.

If you have followed the discussion so far, you may well see further into the direction any such repentance needs to take. It is not just naughty thoughts (or even actions!) that require attention: it is that rather nasty human tendency to set oneself over and against all the rest of humanity, or at least that part of it that gets in your way. It is not just governments and leaders who throw their weight around; we all do it. The real nature of the human dilemma is our capacity to demand that others fit my pattern of behaviour and do what I think they ought to do! It is the ‘Adam’ syndrome, which runs something like ‘bugger you, Jack; I am all right!’ As I have grown older and perhaps a little wiser, I have observed a vast increase in such violence in society, as even girls and young women become involved in violence against people, especially those who are older and more vulnerable.
If I am to belong to the Kingdom of God, then it is from self-determining activity that I need to repent, to reject and turn away from. And that requires considerable conviction and effort. It was easier to give up smoking than it is to turn away from such goals in life.

2012-01-13T11:12:00.001+10:30

Saturday 15th January, 2012
Second Sunday after Epiphany

WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Breakfast is available in the Hall after the 8 am service and morning tea after the 10 am. All are welcome.

Collect for Epiphany II
Eternal God, Whose Son, Jesus Christ, is now exalted as Lord of all, and pours out His gifts upon the Church: grant it that unity which only Your Spirit can give, keep us in the bond of peace, and bring all creation to worship before your throne; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

TODAY’S READINGS Epiphany II
Readings 1 Sam. 3: 1—10 and 1 Corinthians 6: 12—20 read by Family Araki
GOSPEL John 1: 43—51
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Ben L
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Olive Marston, Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Eddie Barber (getting better) and Bryan Baker. Michelle, Jake and Gail also

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Tom Araki, Hal Shaw-Calverly (96!) William Keville
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Anthony & Alysia Kelly, John & Anna Kelly
YEAR’S MIND— Rene Upton (1996) Jim Fitter (2004)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Epiphany III
Readings Jonah 3: 1-10 and 1 Corinthians 7: 29—31
GOSPEL Mark 1: 14—20

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE in recess
BIBLE STUDY in recess
THURSDAY no Thursday morning services till February
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MOTHERS’ UNION programme in recess until next year

The Parish Hall is booked for 21st January. Spies tell us that this is Barbara Radbone’s 90th birthday celebrations. Congrats, Barbara

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Jill Hilbig or Barb Capon
Sunday after Joy Campbell or Craig Deane

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Clare B Intercessor Sue D-T
Sunday after Reader David C Intercessor Mary V

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Marilyn Little Brass Sid & Caroline Sweet
Cleaning Group 3

RONBLOG .... On Today’s Readings (apologies for mixup on printed Newsletter)
It is interesting to compare and contrast in today’s lessons: between Samuel as a youngster and Nathanael as an adult. Both were searchers, and both responded to a reality presented to them. There is nothing fancy about either character and yet both were involved in really useful and helpful ministries at various times in Hebrew history. The real point at issue is that neither was chosen because of being an important personage. One does not see any such emphasis in Biblical history.
And that strikes me as being what today’s readings are getting across. Although such a proposition is not a real issue in Australia of today, it used to be very much the case that it would be only important people whom God would call to minister and serve in His kingdom. Most of the rest of us felt totally inadequate or ill-prepared by life. Sunday School lessons, in my time at least, seemed always to underline the great faith and enormous purity of saints of old, and disciples and Apostles. Reality was always somewhat different. In fact, (again in my experience, which is all I can go by!) those who were all too often go-getters and ladder-climbers seemed to appear and demand positions of authority and go on to make messes monumental – because they operated from the very false base.
Spend some time looking at such a contrast, even if through Biblical stories. The perceived requirements of high spirituality and piety are rarely evident in the lives of the go-getters. This does not apply only to Biblical stories but is rather more evident in ordinary history and leadership. So what does that say to us?
The answer is a bit of a shock in a way. Is God calling you to some ministry or service for which you feel inadequate? Then that just may be the very attribute that will be required of you for the task. I kid you not. (For instance, I could never understand why God called me to priesthood, when one of my great mates was far more spiritual, far more holy and far more religious than me.) We started off together, but he never continued. Not towards ordination anyhow. He remained a faithful Christian all his life. But God chose to put up with me, as did many people from quite a few parishes over a large number of years. Goodness me!
*********************************************************************************************************
Junior Sunday School Notes
IF we have enough children of the 5—7 age group to start this year, we will be talking about Jesus as we find Him in Matthew’s and Mark’s Gospels. There will be a couple of parables and then of course Easter will complete the term. If that happens, Sunday School will resume the day before Public Schools go back.
ALSO, a note of encouragement for support given to the Children’s Ministry: funds raise by recycling bottles etc. has more than doubled last year—over $250! Thanks all!

Special Note: Someone who donated a suit for St. Mary Mags did not realize that a pair of gold cufflinks were attached to the shirt. The items can be recovered via Cynthia Macintosh or Kate Jennings provided the initials on the links can be identified.
While on the subject of St. Mary Magdalene's, a note of great thanks has come from people there for the all the donations of food etc., given recently. There is a request that any donations of clothing need to be clean and not needing darning please. Dirty clothing provides little more than a pointless nuisance.

Mary V is looking at rekindling the Australia Day barbecue after Church on Sunday 29th January. What she is hoping for is someone who will undertake to do the bbq and would be glad of response from willing people. Mary can be contacted on 8227 2838.

RonBlog

2012-01-13T11:11:00.000+10:30

Sunday 15th January, 2012 Second Sunday after Epiphany
Sentence
We have found the Messiah; Jesus Christ the Son of God the king of Israel. John 1:41,49

Collect
Eternal God, Whose Son, Jesus Christ, is now exalted as Lord of all, and pours out His gifts upon the Church; grant it that unity which only Your Spirit can give, keep us in the bond of peace, and bring all creation to worship before Your throne; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson 1 Samuel 3: 1 – 10

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread. At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
Then the LORD called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. The LORD called again, "Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again."
Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
Psalm 139:1 – 5 & 12 – 18
O Lord, You have searched me out and known me: You know when I sit or when I stand, You comprehend my thoughts long before.
You discern my path and the places where I rest: You are acquainted with all my ways
For there is not a word on my tongue: but You, Lord, know it altogether
You have encompassed me behind and before: and have laid Your hand upon me
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me: so high that I cannot endure it.

I will praise You for You are to be feared: fearful are Your acts and wonderful are Your works
You knew my soul, and my bones were not hidden from You: when I was formed in secret and woven in the depths of the earth
Your eyes saw my limbs when they were yet imperfect: and in Your book were all my members written
Day by day they were fashioned: and not one of them was late in growing
How deep are Your thoughts to me O God: how great is the sum of them
Were I to count them, they are more in number than the sand: were I to come to the end, I would still be with You

Epistle 1 Corinthians 6: 12 – 20
"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food," and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall be one flesh." But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

GOSPEL John 1: 43 – 51
The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS......
Old Testament
Most of the OT stories of Samuel make rather good reading, so it is small wonder that this person was a real focus for OT Jews. This story is particularly indicative and present-day readers are encouraged to read on in your Bible. There is told the tale of this novice and youngster having been given the task of telling Eli that his faults and failures were leading to his downfall. Strangely enough, Eli was sufficiently aware of the truth of Samuel’s divinely-given charge that there was no explosive response.
It always makes me ready to hear ‘from the mouths of babes and sucklings,’ for while kids may be immature, very many of them have an innate awareness of the truth and certainly of fairness. In other words, do not be surprised if you come out with some devastating truth even if it be unpopular.

Psalm
Speaking of unsophistication, this psalm is a delight and yet carried real impact in its attitude to life, oneself and God. I find it enormously encouraging to know that God knows and understands me inside out, and whether I am right, wrong or off the rails, His care continues. So far, I find that such awareness saves me from all manner of stress and strain and worry. I am free to get on, past mistakes and sins notwithstanding, and learn from all, good and bad.

Epistle
You may not be aware of it, but one of the damn nuisances of the emerging first century Church was the then widespread ‘religion’ of Gnosticism. This sort of thing is not al that distant from New Age stuff, most of it baloney, and certainly an approach that pandered to people’s terribly human pursuit of being superior. A little like some situations, where it is a matter of if you knew the rules that others don’t – then you are head and shoulders above them.
It was against such practices and beliefs that Paul wrote, preached and spoke. Constantly. He would have been quite strong against ‘New Age’ which is really nothing of the sort, but as old as the hills in spite of its recurrent emergences.
That sort of thing was very much part of the Pharisaic mores, so its appearance in budding Christianity was no surprise to the Apostle. (The second issue of fornication was very much a Greek and Roman ‘thing,’ and here he was focussing on the real thing. Much of OT literature speaks of it, but rather more in terms of religious fornication, turning to other gods and goddesses.)
Only recently I was burdened with a great load of literature, pounding me with my fault and failure in not celebrating the Sabbath as ‘demanded by Scripture.’ I find it enormously sad when people can expend such enormous energy on non-issues yet manage to ‘overlook the weightier matters of the law,’ so to speak.

GOSPEL
This short but clear pen-portrait of Nathanael is interesting and poignant to me. It is fairly clear that here was a determined person, searching for truth and yet not likely to be led by the noser by anyone, least of all his mates. If I am allowed to express it, he follows the pattern of the sort of person often touched by God, a person exploring the possibilities and yet not a little hidebound by bias and perhaps bigotry, Nazareth was no favourite for this man, for reasons unexpressed, a little like the jealousy between Sydney and Melbourne.
However it was Jesus’ reaction to the man that not only described him but also surprised him.
For the record, it is quite likely that Nathanael was also known as Bartholomew.

NOTES FOR A SERMON
In a note of family history related to me many years ago, my father reported a conversation with his mother (marvellous person) and one of her nephews who happened to be Dean of Hobart at the time. Said Dean was acting in a very superior manner, when my grandma called him to account. ‘Stop acting as if you are a cut above everyone!’ she exploded. The response from the Dean was curt: ‘But, Aunty, we clergy are, we are!’ I will draw a curtain of politeness over what followed that stupidity! Grandma was no slouch when it came to powerful riposte.
There is an interesting ‘compare and contrast’ in today’s lessons: between Samuel as a youngster and Nathanael as an adult. Both were searchers, and both responded to a reality presented to them. There is nothing fancy about either character and yet both were involved in really useful and helpful ministries at various times in Hebrew history. The real point at issue is that neither was chosen because of being an important personage. One does not see much of any such emphasis in Biblical history.
And that strikes me as being what today’s readings are getting across. Although such a proposition is not a real issue in Australia of today, it used to be very much the case that it would be only important people whom God would call to minister and serve in His kingdom. Most of the rest of us felt totally inadequate or ill-prepared by life. Sunday School lessons, in my time at least, seemed always to underline the great faith and enormous purity of saints of old, and disciples and Apostles. Reality was always somewhat different. In fact, (again in my experience, which is all I can go by!) those who were all too often go-getters and ladder-climbers seemed to appear and demand positions of authority and go on to make messes monumental – because they operated from the very false base.
Spend some time looking at such a contrast, even if only through Biblical stories. The perceived require-ments of high spirituality and piety are rarely evident in the lives of the go-getters. This does not apply only to Biblical stories but is rather more evident in ordinary history and leadership. So what does that say to us?

The answer is a bit of a shock in a way. Is God calling you to some ministry or service for which you feel inadequate? Then that just may be the very attribute that will be required of you for the task. I kid you not. (For instance, I could never understand why God called me to priesthood, when one of my great mates was far more spiritual, far more holy and far more religious than me. We started off together, but he never continued. Not towards ordination anyhow. He remained a faithful Christian all his life. But God chose to put up with me, as did many people from quite a few parishes over a large number of years. Goodness me!

RonB;log

2012-01-07T08:15:00.001+10:30

Sunday 8th January, 2012 Baptism of our Lord
Sentence
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; and He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Acts10:38

Collect
Spirit of energy and change, in Whose power Jesus was anointed to be the hope of the nations; be poured out also upon us without reserve or distinction, that we may have the confidence and strength to implant Your justice on the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Genesis 1: 1 – 5

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Psalm 29
Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD strikes with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the LORD shakes the desert; the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

For the Epistle Acts 19: 1 – 7

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied--altogether there were about twelve of them.

GOSPEL Mark 1: 4 – 11

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS......

Old Testament
If you wonder why this passage has been chosen for today, about the only explanation I can offer is that here is the beginning. Beginning of everything, so to speak. And a baptism is a beginning, with all the possibilities and risks that lie ahead of the person baptized.
This Creation Story is beautiful and well-designed story, paralleling other old stories but having a mind, shape and direction all of its own. Sadly, those who treat this tale as literally true miss almost the total experience for it is far more interesting than that. Note the fascinating business that, in this portrayal ‘light’ was created days before sun, moon and stars. ‘Light’ is regarded as far more significant than its providores, sun and moon.

Psalm
Do not be put off by the repetitive nature of the verses of this psalm. Notice that, although the emphases appear to be on power and strength, what modern readers can draw from all this is that the real issue is not power but truth and reality. What the Hebrew Faith was ever pointing to is the absolute and unshakeable truth of the Faith and the direction to which it points. Oh, you can mutter about the carry-over baggage about lightning etc., and the fear it always seemed to produce in the ancients, but even then the point being made is that one mucks about with the ancient realities of truth love and justice at rather great risk really. If you do not follow what I am trying to convey, just spend a few moments in front of the TV News and see how often families, communities and even nations absolutely come apart when violence and hatreds overpower. Actually we are living though the tragic outcomes of parental abuse of children, not necessarily in sexual abuse, but in emotional and other forms. Any real community is powerfully aware of the need for nurture of the young; for heaven’s sake, even animals are so clearly and obviously aware of such needs, even to the extent ot risking their own lives for their young.

For the Epistle
This is a strange little cameo from the story of the Infant Church , where it seems that some unknown disciple of the Baptist had been busy long before the Crucifixion. It may come as some surprise to be told that members of this tiny denomination exist still: several years ago such folk were to be found amongst refugees at the Baxter Detention Centre at Port Augusta, where members of Churches from that city were involved in contact and service of them.
There is sadness at such a discovery – there are people for whom just a part of the Gospel is available, but if the truth is known, there are still people who have been given only part of the picture. (Sometimes they are given a fraction by those who are convinced they have ‘the full Gospel,’ but have nothing of the sort.)

GOSPEL
And now we come to the real issue for today – the Baptism of Jesus. Sadly, baptism is one of those things either disregarded or misunderstood somewhat totally in this day and age. Part of the reason for that is the rise of the rugged individual in our culture, led by Americans. Individuals were not part of the ancient scene, because the real issue was the community. (And where is community available these days?)

It has long been an issue for some, from the Baptist on, that Jesus was baptized, but please go back to that community thing. If our Lord was to be part of the whole, to be identified with the People of God, then He needed to express that being part in that sacramental manner. Baptism is not a matter of ‘I have accepted Christ,’ but very much a matter that ‘He has accepted me into the community of the People of God,’ a community without which I am far less able to survive as believer or as participant.

In other words, Jesus identified very much with us, thank heaven. He may be leader, but a good leader needs to be part of the people. And the remarkable outcome of this involvement was that statement from JHWH –here is My Son, My Beloved. JHWH identified Himself with Jesus – and no one can get a better endorsement than that, eh!

NOTES FOR A SERMON

Any baptism, even these days, contains the promise of a new beginning, a commencement, a fresh start – yet sadly that promise may take quite some time to reach fulfillment. I recall talking baptisms to a previous Rector of Clare (whom some of you may know) and his life beginning was rather hopeless if you looked at the then realities. Apparently his parents has little or no interest in the whole business, and said young man in his formative years had nothing to do with Church. But he would never decry even those circumstances, because not only did he become part of the faith community, but was later ordained, and really has had a quietly remarkable ministry, which continues to this day. Mind you, he has a few years on me, so he may well be even slower these days.

New beginnings. While it is true to say that there are quite a lot of times when the promise does not ever emerge, one also needs to recognize that such a promise can be an enormous challenge especially for those to whom the promise reaches fulfillment.

Here today we have an interesting rune of lessons for the Sunday – marking as it does the (adult) commencement of Jesus’ ministry, and going on to echo some of the difficulties His disciples encountered as they attempted to offer a firm lead to those whom they served. I do have to say that one of my huge difficulties in ministry was in attempting to encourage people to move past their comfort zones, as humans let alone as Christians. We so easily forget that this Faith is a pilgrimage, not a full stop. And if / when we stop moving forward, we actually head backwards. Pilgrimage. Never forget that. When ever Israel became settled, then they stopped growing; whenever they encountered enormous difficulty, they had either to explore and move forward, or revert to a comfortable if not comforting ‘religion.’ (And how I hate that word.)

As mentioned in the notes above, the ‘portion of Scripture appointed to be read as the Epistle’ as it used to be expressed, underlines one of the great and pivotal periods in the history of the Infant Church. With the wisdom of hindsight, we might feel the move to have been easy. But when one has grown up with all the pressure to regard any such response to Gentiles as really denying God, then you have troubles.

Israel, in spite of its written Scriptures, had always considered itself to be God’s Chosen, which is simply another way of saying that no one else was worthy of consideration either by the Almighty, and therefore unworthy from the point of view of the Israelite people. Even Samaritans were considered far beyond the pale, even though they had blood connection, at least in part, to the children of Abraham. Yet oddly enough, one of the unexpected outcomes of Roman occupation was the fact that there were those of Roman and therefore Gentile connection, who were attracted to the Jewish Faith. In one way, that was not surprising; Judaism – for all its faults – must have been head and shoulders above what we may call pagan religion in its concern for moral purity and issues of justice. (I find it rather odd, in this day and age, that people outside Christian Faith do not find similar points of connection and interest – but perhaps they will one day.

Now, on the one hand it is rather beaut to find that there will be people who think and care outside the square; on the other, one needs to realize that people of conviction will still find it very hard to cross boundaries held so firmly by their contemporaries. You may well have found it hard to step outside generally-accepted norms of belief of behaviour; and then go on to wonder who is right and who is wrong. Never imagine that Peter never had such compunctions. On top of that he was – from all the evidence of the New Testament – not the strongest of leaders and quite something of a prevaricator.

But just as the Magi from last week, and Jesus in His baptism from this, the need for the spread to wider fields and to the demolition of bigotry of however many centuries, burst on the hearts and minds of the Infant Church. It caused enormous tensions within the Church, as Acts 15 underlines – it required the collective wisdom of all of the People of the Way. And thank God those people voted the way they did. All the evidence pointed to the need for change even when all the tradition pointed unequivocally back towards narrow vision. Had they not decided so, you would not be sitting in Church or even reading this on the Web. The Faith we profess would have disappeared off the face of the earth something less than 2,000 years ago.

And all that before the Gospel account of Jesus’ baptism. May I underline yet again that when we draw conclusions from the Biblical evidence, we need to take all of it into account, careful not to limit our vision or anyone else’s to a narrow and unbending response to the Father.
The Biblical story traces from the call of Abraham right through to here, and all is connected and interdependent. So the Incarnation never was just some later ‘knee-jerk’ reaction on the part of God because ‘nothing seems to have worked so far.’ The whole story is part of one piece.

2011-12-30T14:44:00.001+10:30

Saturday 1st January, 2012
The Epiphany
And New Year Greetings to all
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. Thanks to Fr. Brenton for leading worship in the absence of the Rector
Collect for the Epiphany
Lord God of the nations, we have seen the star of Your glory rising in splendour: may the brightness of Your incarnate Word pierce the night that covers the earth, signal the dawn of justice and peace, and beckon all nations to walk as one in Your light. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Word made flesh, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, in the splendour of eternal light, God for ever and ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS
Readings Isaiah 68: 1—8 and Ephesians 3: 1—12 read by Trevor T
GOSPEL Matthew 2: 1—12
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Don B
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Olive Marston, Kate Jennings, Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting can-cer;) Eddie Barber and Bryan Baker. Michelle, Jake and Gail also

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sascha Williams, Jennifer Jeffreys
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND—John Furnival

The Passing of the Revd Gordon Hewitson The Revd Gordon Hewitson passed away last Sunday in Perth. He was a former Rector of Blackwood and Belair before it was split into two parishes. There is to be a memorial service and interment of ashes at the Holy Innocents Chapel (the old Holy Innocents) on January 26, in the morning. Refreshments are to follow in the parish hall. More details to follow.

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY The Baptism of our Lord
Readings Genesis 1: 1—5 and Acts 19: 1—7
GOSPEL Matthew 4: 12—17 & 23 = 25

SPECIAL NOTE: With Fr. Warren being on leave for the next two Sundays, Fr. Brenton Daulby will celebrate and preach at both services on those days.
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE in recess
BIBLE STUDY in recess
THURSDAY no Thursday morning services till February
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MOTHERS’ UNION programme in recess until next year
The Parish Hall is booked for 21st January.

FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE SERVICE—Pleas for Helpers
Sunday 8th January will be our next turn to visit the wards and take patients to the service in the chapel. We would welcome more helpers, please; our call is only four times a year.
Please meet at the Chapel at 10 am on the day. Enquiries welcome –call Joan Fordham on 8278 2837

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Jill Hilbig or Joy Campbell
Sunday after Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Max A Intercessor Vanessa D
Sunday after Reader Family Araki Intercessor Ben Luks
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Jan Tregenza Brass Joan Durdin
Cleaning Group 2

RONBLOG .... On Epiphany
I grew up in a world where people of any different Christian persuasion were, more often than not, considered to be totally beyond the pale as far us Anglicans were concerned. It was not just a matter of (Roman) Catholics being beyond redemption, but so were many of the people of other sects and hangers on. When it came to those of other faiths, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Callithumpians, well, forget it. They knew nothing of Jesus, so they were consigned to the then popular eternal hell. (Actually, this burning fiery furnace view stems not so much from Scripture as from Dante and his Inferno. Many people do not seem to know that!)
The atmospherics of those days of yore were terribly snobbish and isolationist. Mind you. Australia was really very isolated geographically anyhow, and the White Australia Policy was hardly ever challenged, until after World War II. So everyone was tucked up snugly and safely in the cocoon of their particular ‘theology,’ and later people wondered what the Church had done to have so few respond to the Gospel.
Denominations were isolated and isolating by their Eucharistic theology, and one was expected to fit the respective ‘sausage skins’ and look down the nose at others’ skins, so to speak. As recently as the 1960s, there was no way the Anglican sisters at Coober Pedy Hospital could share in the Easter Communion at the Lutheran Church there, unless they first became Lutheran. I kid you not! So the very Sacrament of Unity was used as a tool for divi-sion and even revulsion. How stupid could we have got?
From the very call of Abraham, the move in this then-new Faith was designed for the entire world into which it was introduced. Look at the call of Abram and the precise and expansive wording of it. He was to be a blessing to all the world. At Sinai that same sort of breadth of vision was expressed, and of course the Old Testament prophets punched the wide drum again and again and again. The tragedy of Israel’s blindness to that breadth of vision was echoed for another two millennia in the Christian world.
And yet here, at the Incarnation, the Biblical writers ensured that the message was heard even over the voices of people’s bigotry. It is rather interesting and quite something of a profound challenge how the Scriptures, written and revised over thousands of years so often show clear evidence of various writers who have challenged the status quo and popular view of some subjects. Perhaps it is too gentle a way to move for change and yet that seems to be the process Biblical, all along. Didn’t it take 1,800 years for English Christians to move to abolish slavery; 1950 years for Christians to see the Biblical imperative about being green, and a little longer to espy the need to embrace the equality of the sexes. All that may well have been because of the time it took for most of the population to be educated and inquisitive, but even so the story of the Church’s rejection of Galileo and his explanation of the Earth revolving around the sun was a shocking indictment of the power of conservatism against truth. It would seem that people look to the Faith for security instead of finding in it the strength to follow wherever truth leads.
There, it strikes me, is the present challenge for us all that Epiphany brings.
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RonBlog

2011-12-30T14:37:00.001+10:30

Sunday 1st January 2012 The Epiphany

Sentence
Arise, shine for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1

Collect
Lord God of the nations, we have seen the star of Your glory rising in splendour; may the brightness of Your incarnate Word pierce the night that covers the earth, signal the dawn of justice and peace, and beckon all nations to walk as one in Your light. We ask this through Your Son Jesus Christ, Your Word made flesh, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever Amen

Old Testament Lesson Isaiah 60: 1 – 6

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.

Psalm 72: 1 – 7 & 10 – 14

Give the king Your judgement, O God: and Your righteousness to the son of a king
That he may judge Your people rightly: and the poor of the land with equity:
Let the mountains be laden with peace because of his righteousness: and the hills also with prosperity for his people
May he give justice to the poor among the people: and rescue the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor
May he live while the sun endures: and while the moon gives light, throughout all generations
May he come down like rain upon the new-mown fields: and as showers that water the earth
In his time shall righteousness flourish: and abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more

The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.
All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.
For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.
He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Epistle Ephesians 3: 1 – 12

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.
In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

GOSPEL Matthew 2: 1 – 12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;
and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS ....

Old Testament
One is left suspecting that when many people read today’s passage, they assume either that the prophet has taken leave of his senses and gone off with the fairies, or that this is simply the way that the people of God talk and write and carry on. Neither of such views gives any cognisance of that to which the prophet was pointing.

Several times in recent weeks, these notes have pointed readers to a rather more immediate point and purpose of Gospel and Faith; insofar as the Biblical Faith has always pointed to a means of resolution of the human condition of strife, hatred and destructiveness. Always, from Genesis 3 on. Somehow we manage to translate and limit the Faith to the business of what we call salvation, seen in terms of life after this. The Biblical Faith has always been more immediate and relevant, and for some reason both Church and Christians have turned their eyes away and headed for ‘religion.’ Small wonder people out there ignore the Faith!

Mind you, when the Faith is seen for what it is, there will remain most people who will turn their backs. But that does not limit the point, power and purpose of the Biblical Faith. It has the potential to reduce human conflict without cost and with singular immediacy. No wonder Isaiah was excited – do you see!

Psalm
Now please read that Psalm once more with feeling. Look and see where the almost constant emphasis lies. Righteousness (justice actually, do you see?) equity, peace, and on it goes. In a world back then hardly noted for such significant issues, even the old psalmist knew which way was up, and what was important. Please begin to realize how utterly revolutionary was this Faith way back then.
Force was how kings governed, and even Israel was not exempt from that attitude. Other cultures were fierce and very bloody. And you know that peace will never emerge unless and until justice reigns. Justice is NOT revenge. Justice is the exercise and response to the total truth in any situation. Integrity and truth are vital and irremovable cohorts.

Epistle
It may help to mention that whenever the New Testament talks about ‘mystery’ it is not referring to something dark and unfathomable at all. It is talking about something once secret (or at least not generally known) that has now been revealed. Oddly enough it has to be said that Paul’s ‘mystery’ about the inclusion of the Gentiles in the affection and interest of God, was not new by any means. Even a cursory reading of the OT prophets will show that those ancient worthies always tended to see that the Faith they represented was spread, and intended to be spread world-wide and not focussed narrowly as ancient Jewry seemed to demand. In other words, this Faith was not designed to be offered to a select few, but was something that was of vital interest and concern to all of humanity. It really does escape me how anyone over the intervening millennia failed to catch sight of this: it is as plain as the nose on your face. We humans have a remarkable and foolish capacity to turn something to life-giving and beneficial into something narrow and bigotted as a religion that divides. What fools we mortals be!
In several different epistles, Paul expresses his conviction is several different ways, that Jesus is the meaning of life, the focal point of history to give it meaning and purpose, and that everything in life and human history will be ‘brought to a head’ in Christ. What is the meaning of life? Jesus. Not 42!

Gospel
It should come as no surprise that the story of the Magi figures as the Gospel focus on Epiphany - it is a moving and salutary tale, whether it actually occurred or not. (Some recent commentators seem convinced that the story is not historically true, but lots of Biblical writers never let the truth get in the way of a good parable or significant illustration.)
Actually, the story would have been absolutely shocking to a contemporary Jew, or most of them. It should be just as much a shock to Christian purists, for the tale relates how occultic searchers came to find the Christ Child, convinced by the data of their own horoscope that an event of enormous significance was / had taken place. Magi = magicians = occultists for heaven’s sake; and by the gifts they presented, they showed a far greater awareness of the coming Christ than did the People of Israel themselves.
These men represent the rest of the world people of other cultures and life-views, and would have represented quite something of an abomination to people of Pharisaic persuasion. Let that gell a moment or two .....

NOTES FOR A SERMON

I grew up in a world where people of different Christian persuasion were, more often than not, considered to be totally beyond the pale as far as the rest of us Anglicans were concerned. It was not just a matter of (Roman) Catholics being beyond redemption, but so were many of the people of other sects and hangers on. When it came to those of other faiths, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims and Callithumpians, well, forget it. They knew nothing of Jesus, so they were consigned to the then popular eternal hell. (Actually, this burning fiery furnace view stems not so much from Scripture as from Dante and his Inferno. Many people do not seem to know that!)

So the atmospherics of those days of yore so long ago were terribly snobbish and isolationist. I guess, in those days, Australia was really very isolated geographically anyhow, and the White Australia Policy was hardly ever challenged, until World War II. So everyone was tucked up snugly and safely in the cocoon of their particular ‘theology,’ and later people were to wonder what the Church had done to have so few respond to the Gospel.

Denominations were isolated and isolating by their Eucharistic theology, and one was expected to fit the respective ‘sausage skins’ and look down the nose at others’ skins, so to speak. As recently as the 1960s, there was no way the Anglican sisters at Coober Pedy Hospital could share in the Easter Communion at the Lutheran Church there, unless they first became Lutheran. I kid you not! So the very Sacrament of Unity was used as a tool for division and even revulsion. How stupid could we have got?

From the very call of Abraham, the move in this then-new Faith was designed for the entire world into which it was introduced. Look at the call of Abram and the precise and expansive wording of it. He was to be a blessing to all the world. At Horeb, that same sort of breadth of vision was expressed, and of course the Old Testament prophets punched the wide drum again and again and again. The tragedy of Israel’s blindness to that breadth of vision was echoed for another two millennia in the Christian world.

And here, at the Incarnation, the Biblical writers ensured that the message was heard even over the voices of people’s bigotry. It is rather interesting and quite something of a profound challenge how the Scriptures, written and revised over thousands of years, really, so often show evidence of various writers who have challenged the status quo and popular view of some subjects. Perhaps it is too gentle a way to move for change and yet that seems to be the process Biblical, all along. Didn’t it take 1,800 years for English Christians to move to abolish slavery; 1950 years for Christians to see the Biblical imperative about being green, and a little longer to espy the need to embrace the equality of the sexes. All that may well have been because of the time it took for most of the population to be educated and inquisitive, but even so the story of the Church’s rejection of Galileo and his explanation of the Earth revolving around the sun was a shocking indictment of the power of conservatism against truth. It would seem that people look to the Faith for security instead of finding in it the strength to follow wherever truth leads.

There, it strikes me, is the present challenge for us all that Epiphany brings.

RonBlog

2011-12-23T08:27:00.001+10:30

Sunday 25th December, 2011 Christmas Day

Sentence
I bring you good news of great joy for all people: to you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, Christ the Lord. Luke 2:-10-11

Collect
Almighty God, Who gave Your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon Him and as at this time to be born of the Virgin Mary; grant that we being born again and made Your children by adoption and grace, ma daily be renewed by Your Holy Spirit, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the same Spirit, ever one God, now and for ever. Amen

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Isaiah 9:2 – 7

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as men rejoice when dividing the plunder. For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
This is the Word of the Lord Thanks be to God
PSALM 96
O sing to the Lord a new song: sing to the Lord, all the earth
Sing to the Lord and bless His holy name: proclaim the good ns of His salvation from day to day
Declare His glory among the nations: and His wonders among all peoples
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised: He is more to be feared than all gods
As for the gods of the nations, they are mere idols: it is the Lord Who made the heavens
Majesty and glory are before Him: beauty and power and in His sanctuary
Render to the Lord, you families of the nations: render to God glory and might
Render to the Lord the honour due to His Name: bring offerings and come into His courts
O worship the Lord in the beauty of His holiness: let the whole earth stand in awe of Him
Say among the nations that the Lord is king: He has made the world so firm that it cannot be moved; and He shall judge the peoples with equity
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad: let the sea roar and all that fills it
Let the fields rejoice and everything in them: then shall the trees of the wood shout with joy before the Lord
For He comes, He comes to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His truth.

EPISTLE Titus 2:11- 14

The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

GOSPEL Luke 2:1 – 14

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to all on whom his favour rests.”

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS ……………….

Old Testament
One can well imagine people being more than a little bemused by this passage from Isaiah and it may well
take a little imagination to catch sight of what the old prophet is saying. This is well and truly pre-exilic, and comes from a time when conquest was a real and terrible threat. On top of that, Israel itself did not have the best of kings and rulers, and the possibility of life being marked by justice and integrity was more than a little limited.

In such a time of oppression and hopelessness, the prophet anticipated a time when all that was ugly and damaging would be a thing of the past. Even that rather ugly reference to boots and garments blood-soaked was seeing them as passé and invalid. In other words, you know and I know that warfare and violence produces nothing at all beneficial, so here is a tirade for the peaceful approach. In world weary even then of warfare and plunder, people were looking for a sensible, tangible, worthwhile way to operate that would bring something rather more settled and worthwhile.

So the longing and hope and expectation is there expressed in the second paragraph: it is all about peace, ‘with justice and righteousness.’ What sort of a world would we have if those ancient values held sway? The answer is obvious. But how to get there …………….

Psalm

You may well find that many of the Psalms are rather more in the way of daydreaming than of down-to-earth reality, but you need to look and think a little deeper if you want to catch sight of what is really being conveyed. Day-dreaming this is NOT.

One of the things about faith that even the most naïve Hebrew knew was that God is there to be followed, obeyed, taken notice of. Certainly God is always there, as guarantor of all that is true and just and equitable, but He does not do it all for people. He offers the different way to operate, pointing people to where real life is to be found. In other words, God is not going to lean on or punish those who ignore His ways, but leave them in the world of their own creating to see that there has to be a better way. When people ‘own’ the truth and follow, only then will life have its changes.

Epistle

In spite of some appalling and shallow teaching about grace, the Gospel is not something that costs nothing either from Christ or to us. There is always the challenge to accept, to follow, and to bend one’s life to the truth and the values of God. Salvation needs to be seen in terms, not of life after this, but of a completely different view of life, of relationships and responsibilities. It is not an emotional experience. It is a deliberate choice.

GOSPEL

The story must be so well known as to need no repetition whatever. In fact, I usually choose to select the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel, so that we are talking about the implications of the Christmas event, not the details. However, the thing never to lose sight of is the sheer ordinariness of it all. That sign of the child wrapped in ‘swaddling clothes’ is not something outstanding and different. Every infant at that time and in almost any other would have been wrapped similarly. The point of the Christmas story is such that it underlines the way God works and the sort of people through whom He works. There is nothing outstanding or notable about any of the characters involved, but they were all as ordinary as you. So what does that say to you?

NOTES FOR A SERMON

It may be a case of giving myself away, but I have long had problems with the celebration of Christmas, not for me but for others. Over the years of my life, I have seen a huge decline in the numbers of people attending Midnight Mass or any other Christmas service, and I suspect I have some idea why this is so. From my youth upwards, there has been so much brouhaha about the Season, and most of it had no ‘legs,’ if you follow, nothing of substance behind all the fuss.

I guess it is possible to carry on with the fizz long after it has lost its effect on me, for the sake of the kids. It is a little like the Father Christmas business, which while it has its roots in distant history, there is remarkably little connection between the old man in red and St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra.

So where does that leave us? From where I sit, I think we need something of a reality check.

There are often some rather ridiculous claims made in Christmas sermons, and I am not talking about Virgin Births and all that sort of thing. I am talking about the extraordinary claims about Christmas, epitomized perhaps by the ‘peace on earth and goodwill to all men.’ For most people, and especially those with children, the peace business doesn’t last any longer than the opening of presents. And on the wider scene, there is not a lot of peace amongst Christians sometimes, in the Holy Land it is abysmal from where we sit, and it all sounds like a lovely idea that has not the slightest hope of fulfilling its expectation.

You may feel that I am overloading the picture, and you may be correct. But I do have a problem with some Christians and their credibility. In fact I have a problem for those not of the Faith, with their perception of incredibility of the Faith. It is not as if there is no truth in the story; it is a matter of knowing what the truth is.

One of the problems that people have (and not only Christians) is of rather wider concern. It may be a case of living in the electronic age, where answers are expected at the push of a button. Or it may be that we are being pressed into expecting a sort of ‘messiah’ response to all problems. You know what I mean, do you not? It is like expecting our political leaders to have all the answers to all the problems, which they are expected to do without any input or cost from us. A good messiah will do it all for you. SO with the combination of both the above, we are left with the very false expectation that the world owes us a living, and a damn good one at that, and it that means someone else goes with out, stiff cheddar.

Now, if that is the sort of expectation you have from the Christmas celebration, then, FORGET IT. You do NOT have a Lord Who is going to do it all for you, You do not have anyone who is going to remove responsibility from you, or remove decision making from you. You DO have a Lord Who is pointing you in a direction that is going to offer you the sort of peace that he story is all about.

2011-12-23T08:26:00.000+10:30

Saturday 24th December, - Sunday 25th December2011
Christmas Eve - Christmas Day
Christmas Greetings to all
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist.

Collect for Christmas Eve
Eternal God, Who made this most holy night to shine with the brightness of Your one true light; bring us, who have known the revelation of that light on earth, to see the radiance of Your heavenly glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen

Collect for Christmas Day
Almighty God, Who gave Your only Son to take our nature upon Him and as at this time to be born of the virgin Mary; grant that we being born again and made Your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by Your Holy Spirit, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the same Spirit, ever one God, now and for ever. Amen

TODAY’S READINGS Christmas Eve
Readers: Christmas Eve Caroline S Christmas Day Neil T
Isaiah 9: 2—7 & Titus 2: 11—14 Gospel Luke 2: 1—11
Christmas Day
Isaiah 62: 6– 12 & Titus 3: 4—8a Gospel Luke 2: 1—20
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Max A (Eve) and Hal S-C (Day)
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Olive Marston, Kate Jennings, Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Eddie Barber and Bryan Baker. Michelle, Jake and Gail also

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Sascha Williams, Jennifer Jeffreys and Jesus of course!
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND—John Furnival

The Passing of the Revd Gordon Hewitson- Gordon Hewitson passed away last Sunday in Perth. He was a former Rector of Blackwood and Belair before it was split into two parishes and the founder of St. John’s Grammar School. There is to be a memorial service and interment of ashes at the Holy Innocents Chapel (the old Holy Innocents) on January 26, in the morning. Refreshments are to follow in the parish hall. More details to follow.

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY The Epiphany
Readings Isaiah 68: 1—8 and Ephesians 3: 1—12
GOSPEL Matthew 2: 1—12

SPECIAL NOTE: With Fr. Warren being on leave for the next two Sundays, Fr. Brenton Daulby will celebrate and preach at both services on those days. Great thanks to Brenton for offering that ministry to us.

FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE SERVICE—Pleas for Helpers
Sunday 8th January will be our next turn to visit the wards and take patients to the service in the chapel. We would welcome more helpers, please; our call is only four times a year.
Please meet at the Chapel at 10 am on the day. Enquiries welcome –call Joan Fordham on 8278 2837

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Next Sunday Cynthia Macintosh or Don Caddy
Sunday after Jill Hilbig or Joy Campbell

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Trevor T Intercessor Don B
Sunday after Reader Max A Intercessor Vanessa D

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Sue Daw-Thomas Brass Margaret Carruthers Cleaning Susan Lee

RONBLOG .... On Christmas generally .....
It may be a case of giving myself away, but I have long had problems with the celebration of Christmas, not for my sake but for others. Over the years, I have seen a huge de-cline in the numbers of people attending Midnight Mass or any other Christmas service, and I suspect I have some idea why this is so. From my youth upwards, there has been so much brouhaha about the Season, and most of it had no ‘legs,’ if you follow me, nothing of sub-stance behind all the kerfuffle. I guess it is possible to carry on with the fizz long after it has lost its effect on us for the sake of the kids. It is all a little like the Father Christmas business, which while it has its roots in distant history, there is remarkably little connection between the old man in red and St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. From where I sit, I think we need something of a reality check.
There are often rather ridiculous claims made in Christmas sermons, and I am not only talking about Virgin Births and all that sort of thing. I am talking about the extraordinary claims about Christmas, epitomized perhaps by the ‘peace on earth and goodwill to all’ business. For most people, and especially those with children, the peace business doesn’t last any longer than the opening of presents. And on the wider scene, there is not a lot of peace amongst Christians sometimes. In the Holy Land it is abysmal from where we sit, and it all sounds like a lovely idea that has not the slightest hope of fulfilling its expectation.
One of the problems that people have (and not only Christians) is of rather wider concern. It may be a case of living in the electronic age, where answers are expected at the push of a button. Or it may be that we are being pressed into expecting a sort of ‘messiah’ response to all problems. You know what I mean, do you not? It is like expecting our political leaders to have all the answers to all the problems, which they are expected to provide with-out any input or cost from us. A ‘good’ messiah will do it all for you. So with the combination of both the above, we are left with the very false expectation (a) that the world owes us a living, and (b) a damn good one at that, and (c) it that means someone else goes with out, stiff cheddar. Now, if that is the sort of expectation you have from the Christmas celebration, then, FORGET IT. You do NOT have a Lord Who is going to do it all for you, You do not have any-one who is going to remove responsibility from you, or remove decision making from you. You DO have a Lord Who is pointing you in a direction that is going to offer you the sort of peace that the story is all about. ANd you have to choose to follow ..... Or not!
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Mitcham Hills Interchurch Council Appeal Due to the change in government funding arrangements School Chaplains as from the start of the next School Year, will be employed on casual employment terms. Due to the higher rate of pay and the fact the Interchurch Council needs to assist the School Ministry Group (SMG) with administration costs the Council needs your support. In the next few weeks please consider placing an extra envelope in the collection plate with a donation addressed either as follows:
‘For Mitcham Hills Interchurch Council’ - this would go to fund all Council activities
‘For CPSWs School Chaplaincy’ - this would go to fund School Chaplaincy alone
‘For Beacon’ - This would go towards the Beacon emergency relief program freeing up Coun-cil funds so more can be given to School Chaplaincy
Holy innocents Calendar
If you would like to know what is coming up at Holy Innocents check out our calendar at the following link: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=innocents.belair%40gmail.com&ctz=Australia/Adelaide

Church 29 Sheoak Road, Belair SA 5052 Post to PO Box 156 Belair SA 5052
Phone 08 8370 3530 Email innocents@adam.com.au
Web holyinnocents.com.au
Services Sunday 8.00am Traditional Communion
10.00am Contemporary Communion
Thursday 9.30am Traditional Holy Communion
Question Time 4th Sundays 7.30pm details advertised as available
MINISTRY TEAM
Rector Rev’d Dr. Warren Huffa Mob. 0438 988 448
Classic-theology-new.blogspot.com Email warren.huffa@gmail.com
Wardens
Sue Parham 0418816413 David Hall 8370 2250
Deacon et al Rev’d Stephen Daughtry stephendaughtry@optusnet.com.au or 8278 7061
Hon. Priest Canon Ron Keynes 8298 7160 ronpkeynes@internode.on.net
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or
ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-12-16T11:45:00.002+10:30

Sunday 18th December, 2010 Fourth Sunday of Advent

Sentence
This Child will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. Luke 1:32-3

Collect
Gracious God, Whose eternal Word took flesh among us when Mary placed her life at the service of Your will; prepare our hearts for His coming again, and keep us steadfast in hope that we may be ready for the coming of His kingdom, for His sake Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson 2 Samuel 7:1-11 & 16

After the king was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Nathan replied to the king, “Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the LORD is with you.” That night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying:
“Go and tell my servant David, ‘this is what the LORD says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Now then, tell my servant David, ‘this is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

***********************************************************************************************************************
Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

Psalm 89:1-4 & 19 – 27

Lord, I will sing forever of your loving-kindnesses: my mouth shall proclaim Your faithfulness throughout all generations
I have said of Your loving-kindness that it is built for ever: You have established Your faithfulness in the heavens
The Lord said, ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen: I have sworn an oath to my servant David
‘I will establish your line for ever: and build up your throne for all generations

You spoke once in a vision: and said to Your faithful one: I have set a youth above a warrior: I have exalted a young man out of the people
I have found My servant David: and anointed him with My holy oil
My hand shall uphold him: and My arm shall strengthen him
No enemy shall deceive him: nor shall the wicked hurt him
I will crush his adversaries before him: and strike down those that hate him
My faithfulness and My loving-kindness shall be with him: and through My name his head shall be lifted
High
I will set the hand of his dominion upon the Western Sea: and his right hand shall stretch to the streams of Mesopotamia
He will call to Me “You are my Father: my God and the rock of my salvation

Epistle Romans 16: 25-27

Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey him - to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
GOSPEL Luke 1:26 – 38

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Old Testament Lesson
Everyone in my family tends to call me unrealistic, but this passage from Samuel seems, at first glance, to be quite out of place in an Advent setting, so I ask you to come on a journey with me. It would seem to me, on the other hand, to be remarkably apposite, when one has time to ponder.
There is an almost inbuilt human thing to be associated with large and demonstrative buildings, and these days it tends to be almost phallic. So there was – almost certainly – that trait in David’s mind that he could be forever associated with a large and expansive Temple. His plan was stalled, and in the light of what follows, it may be a pity that it ever got off the deck.
Notice the protestation from God! The Almighty was not only quite used to living in a tent thanks very much, but saw no great need for any huge building. On the one hand, a tent was a constant pointer to the need to be moving, growing, pilgrimming. A large building would tend to point to an institution that was settled, static, unmoving. It has long struck me that, as long as Israel was on the move, there was growth; as soon as things were settled, all became static, inert, unmoving and unmoveable. There is a lesson there, is there not?
So, you now know the story, and what do you make of it?

Psalm
If the Old Testament lesson seems to be emphasising the small scale, then please notice that the Psalm is doing the same thing. It may not be all that important these days, but then anyone remotely connected to rule or reign was expected to be ‘wide-screen’ and big time. If your country or tribe was to make a mark on others, then it needed to be a BIG mark. Large is impressive, is it not?

Not in Biblical terms, for the simple reason that ‘big’ becomes so easily ‘ego trip.’ And ego trips run contrary to the will and plan of God -- in fact, contrary to anything sensible and useful. Now look again at the story of Samuel choosing David - or any other call – and notice how the emphasis was on being servant, not being boss and lording it over people. Remember this is why Samuel did not wish to anoint Saul as king, for kings – and other high and mighty ones! - so easily lose their way.

Epistle

In the light of what we have been considering, there is something of an irony here. If the coming of Christ, in fact the entire revelation, is to help people believe (and follow!) we might have expected a whiz-bang show to convince people. However, whiz-bang things do not convince! They only entertain. For people to be convinced, they need to stop and listen and think a lot deeper than that!

Gospel

So we take this approach further. One of the things that really does give me the willies is the way we love to emphasise the unimportant, and so miss entirely the significant issue. The real business about the call to Mary is NOT, repeat NOT the story of the Virgin Birth, but the fact that, like David, dear young 14- or 15-year old Mary was a nonentity as far as status and importance was concerned, and so was far more likely to be genuine, faithful, and respond with her whole heart. Can you imagine the Premier of your State, the Prime Minister of your country or the President of any other being called to such a task as was Mary? Then stop and realize why NOT.

Then go on to see that this same Lord may well be calling insignificant you to a ministry, too.

Scary, isn’t it!!!!!!!!!!

NOTES FOR A SERMON

Christmas is now but a step away, and we have been given a chance to stop and think of the people involved in the saga. It is always rather easy to miss the wood because we can see only trees.

When it comes to pondering the characters of the Biblical stories, it is always very easy to place a huge gap between them and ourselves. Partly that is because of the distance in time and culture twixt them and us, and partly it may be because we have swallowed the propaganda that those holy people must have been head and shoulders over us. They knew it all; we struggle to understand very much at all of the religious bits. In both cases, it may seem that propaganda has won.

I remember the first time that I raised the issue of the likely age of Mary at the time of the annunciation. Let’s explore that a moment It is common knowledge now that Mary might have been 15 or so when she felt the call to be the mother of our Lord. Part of the clue comes from the Greek word that is translated ‘virgin’ in your Bible. That Greek word is ‘parthenos,’ and the word does not mean what it has become, (virgin in the clinical sense,) but rather means ‘a young woman of marriageable age in that culture. My point is simple: Scripture is not telling us of some highly sophisticated, religiously learned young person, but someone quite simple – in the real sense of the word! – and honest and faithful. Mary was highly unlikely to develop into some sort of prodigy or ego-tripper. She was most likely to remain one of the ‘little people,’ unnoticed by those in positions of high power.

She was little different from you and me. Ordinary, genuine, likeable and just as likely to be with faults just as you are. And that is the sort of person God is forever calling to particular and important ministries, then and now. The moment we elevate people like Mary to even the beginnings of isolating sainthood, we are missing the point and removing that poor woman from her reality, from God’s reality and also from ours. IF Mary was some sort of plaster saint, then she is so far distant from me that there are no connections whatever. She is up there, and I am down here, and never the twain shall meet. It is that sort of perceived distance between ‘senior’ and ‘junior’ Christians that does a lot off damage.

Mind you there can be damage the other way, too. I recall the time a young member of a Youth Group in which I was involved telling me that he felt called to ministry. And in the enthusiasm but ignorance of youth, he decided that any sort of Biblical or theological training was completely unnecessary. When we look at Mary and her task, it is seen that theological training was not called for, but I would be rude enough to suggest that naivety would have been a very distinct disadvantage to that young man 50 years ago.

So, in terms of the Collect today, Mary was ready for the coming of the Kingdom, and history makes clear that she was up to the task, and was constant and true. The question for us, in our day and age, is to wonder quite how the kingdom comes here, and whether our eyes are open to such advents.

I doubt if there was anyone who could have attested to Mary’s call, for such things take place, in my experience, in the quietness of the depths of one’s life and mind. Such annunciations, such transfigurations, are not noisy or advertised events. They are low key, as spirit meets spirit in the deepest part of a person. One of the reasons, perhaps, that such things are not so noticeable these days is because there are not a lot of human beings who are even aware of such depths, or are scared witless of them. It is not fashionable to let it drop that one thinks or feels deeply, especially about important issues.

However, it is my experience that whenever you might encounter anyone who does want to talk about deep issues, that you can be fairly sure that the kingdom is not all that far away. There will be no whistles blowing or bells ringing, and you may well feel that you did not get very far. But that is how the kingdom comes, in quiet but unremarkable moments. Notice how often in Jesus’ own ministry, that He simply met people in whatever situation or crisis they were at the time, and that He did little more than offer then the next step forward. He did not press for ‘decisions,’ He did not demand huge steps, but He met them where they were, offered them the next step, and then left them the responsibility of taking it all further.

It all may sound so different and contrary to our present culture which is all push and shove, demanding immediate response, and brooking no dispute. If you think you should operate in the modern way, then imagine how you, as evangelist, if you operated like those persistent and pushy telemarketers who will not take no for an answer. They get me quite angry, and my response is, almost automatically, negative. I see no sight of that in Jesus’ approach to people.

2011-12-16T11:45:00.001+10:30

Sunday 18th December, 2011
Fourth Sunday in Advent
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School will be in action at the 10am today.

COLLECT FOR ADVENT IV
Gracious God, Whose eternal Word took flesh among us when Mary placed her life at the service of Your will: prepare our hearts for His coming again and keep us steadfast in hope, that we may be ready for the coming of His kingdom; for His sake, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS Fourth Sunday in Advent read by Hal S-C
Readings 2 Samuel 7:1—112 & 16 and Romans 16:25—27
GOSPEL Luke 1: 26—38
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Warren
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Olive Marston, Kate Jennings, Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) Eddie Barber and Bryan Baker. Michelle, Jake and Gail also
HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jennifer Jeffreys, Sascha Williams
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Anna Kernot (1993). Robn Pinnock (10093) Alfred Mayne (2002) James Arnold (1976) John Furnival (2002)
50th Anniversary of Ordination as Deacon - Fr. Ron

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SATURDAY & SUNDAY
Christmas Eve Isaiah 9:2-7 and Titus 2: 11—14 Luke 2: 1– 14
Christmas Day Isaiah 62: 6—12 & Titus 2: 4—5a Luke 2: 1—20
Readers: Christmas Eve Caroline S Christmas Day Neil T

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY in recess
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MOTHERS’ UNION programme in recess until next year

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Joy Campbell or Craig Deane
Christmas Eve Barb Capon or Trevor Tregenza
Christmas Day Min Araki or Ron Keynes

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Christmas Eve Reader Caroline Intercessor Max A
Christmas Day Reader Neil T Intercessor Hal S-c

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Anna Kelly
with a plea for Agapanthus and greenery please—leave in buckets in Germein Room
Brass Rosemary Conlon Cleaning Group 1

RONBLOG .... On today’s Old Testament Reading and Gospel
This passage from Samuel surely seems to be quite out of place in an Advent setting. On the other hand, it may be remarkably apposite, when one has time to ponder.
There is an almost inbuilt human thing to be associated with large and demonstrative buildings, and these days that tends to be almost phallic. So there was – almost certainly – that trait in David’s mind that he could be forever associated with a large and expansive Temple. His plan was stalled, and in the light of what follows, it may be a pity that it ever got off the deck. Notice the protestation from God! The Almighty – so to speak - was not only quite used to living in a tent, thanks very much, but saw no great need for a huge building. On the one hand, a tent was a constant pointer to the need to be moving, growing, pilgrimming. A large building would tend to point to an institution that was settled, static, unmoving. It has long struck me that, as long as Israel was on the move, there was growth; as soon as things were settled, all became static, inert, unmoving and unmoveable. There is a lesson there, is there not?

So, you now know the story, and what do you make of it? Let me take this approach further. One of the things that really does give me the willies is the way we love to emphasise the unimportant, and so miss what is significant.
The real business about the call to Mary is NOT, repeat NOT the story of the Virgin Birth, but the fact that, like David, dear young 15- or 16-year old Mary was a nonentity as far as status and importance was concerned, and so was far more likely to be genuine, faithful, and respond with her whole heart. Can you imagine the Premier of your State, the Prime Minister of your country or the President of any other being called to such a task as was Mary? Then stop and realize why NOT.
Then go on to see that this same Lord may well be calling insignificant you to a ministry, too.
**********************************************************************************************************
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Sunday School Advent Celebration
Our family service today will be followed by a BYO picnic in the Hawthorndene Reserve (look for picnic tables alongside cricket oval). Join us for lunch, games and a treasure hunt from 11.30am-2.30pm. Phone Clare 8270 6445 for more info.

Christmas Services: note change of time for Children's Service
Christmas Eve 6:30pm - A Family Christmas Eve Seasonal bedtime stories and a hot-dog dinner. The perfect way to prepare for Christmas Day.
11.00pm Midnight Mass
CHRISTMAS DAY
8.00am Traditional Communion
10.00am Contemporary Communion
Christmas Bowl Envelopes
Today you will find Christmas Bowl envelopes in Church. You are encouraged to take an envelope, fill it and put in with your offerings in the collection plate. Please do it now, you don't need to wait until Christmas Day!

The Choir Cantamus is presenting Handel's MESSIAH at Blackwood Uniting Church this afternoon at 2.30pm. Tickets are $20 (Adult), $15 (Concession), children under 12 free if with a paying adult. Profits to be donated to The Christmas Bowl.

Planned Giving Scheme in 2012
We started to hand out from December 4th, the ID (or Envelope) numbers and the envelopes with the numbers on them for the Planned-Giving Scheme in 2012. As in the past years, you would receive a whole set of envelopes if you pledge weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. If you pledge quarterly or annually (semi-annually), you would receive four or two envelopes, respectively. If you have not received the Pledge Form for 2012, but you wish to be in the Scheme, please obtain the Pledge Form from Cynthia Macintosh, and return the form enclosed in an ordinary envelope addressed to The Recorder, Holy Innocents Anglican Church, PO Box 156, Belair SA 5052, through the collection plate, or place in our letterbox, or by post.

Mitcham Hills Interchurch Council Appeal Due to the change in government funding arrangements School Chaplains as from the start of the next School Year, will be employed on casual employment terms. Due to the higher rate of pay and the fact the Interchurch Council needs to assist the School Ministry Group (SMG) with administration costs the Council needs your support. I ask in the next few weeks you consider placing an extra envelope in the collection plate with a donation addressed either as follows:
‘For Mitcham Hills Interchurch Council’ - this would go to fund all Council activities
‘For CPSWs School Chaplaincy’ - this would go to fund School Chaplaincy alone
‘For Beacon’ - This would go towards the Beacon emergency relief program freeing up Council funds so more can be given to School Chaplaincy

Holy innocents Calendar
If you would like to know what is coming up at Holy Innocents check out our calendar at the following link: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=innocents.belair%40gmail.com&ctz=Australia/Adelaide

RonBlog

2011-12-08T09:16:00.000+10:30

Sunday 11th December, 2011 Third Sunday in Advent

Sentence
Bind up the broken-hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour, the day of vengeance of our God. Isaiah 61:1-2

Collect
Eternal God, You sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for the coming of Your Son; grant us wisdom to see Your purpose and openness to hear Your will, that we too may prepare for Christ Who is coming in power and glory, to establish His rule of peace and justice, through Jesus Christ our Judge and Redeemer, One God, for ever and ever. Amen

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Isaiah 61:1-4 & 8 – 11

The Spirit of the LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion—to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendour. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.

FOR THE PSALM The Song of Mary

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord: my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour
Who has looked with favour on His lowly servant: from this day all generations will call me blessed
The Almighty has done great things for me: and holy is His name
God has mercy on those who fear Him: from generation to generation
The Lord has shown strength with His arm: and scattered the proud in their conceit
Casting down the mighty from their thrones: and lifting up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things: and sent the rich away empty
He has come to the aid of His servant Israel: to remember His promise of mercy
The promise made to our forebears: to Abraham and his children for ever.

EPISTLE 1 Thessalonians 5:12 – 28

Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, and be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. Brothers, pray for us. Greet all the brothers with a holy kiss. I charge you before the Lord to have this letter read to all the brothers. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

GOSPEL John 1: 6 – 8 and 19 – 28

There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.” They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’” Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” “I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS …………….

Old Testament Lesson

One of the things about Christians that amazes me constantly is our failure to take notice of the very Scriptures we hold so very dear. Whilst most people are happy to delight in this, amongst others, of the Servant Songs of Isaiah, not very many are prepared to travel the journey that both Isaiah and Jesus put in front of us. For this servant song is not only in anticipation of Christ, but is a statement of how the People of God themselves need to operate. And the failure in that is enormous.

I do not need to spell out the implications for those of us here and now. Isaiah in his wonderings and musings as to what God was doing with Israel in his day remain valid and demanding for our own day. Whilst none of us can even begin to come into the same category as Jesus, in terms of our capability, we all are called into the imitatio Christi when it comes to how we behave and operate as servants of all. Far too often Christians are prostituted into what I would call Adamic modes of leadership, being like gods, being control freaks or bulldozers, which result in the complete downfall of what the Church is on about. I dare you to think all this through. The Church and its people have much to answer for in their refusal to follow their own truths.

Psalm

Again, I suspect that it is true how we Christians become familiar with something Biblical, like this Magnificat as we used to call it in Evening Prayer, and very largely miss the point! Certainly we recognize that this Song of Mary tells us a lot of how she tended to see her life as Mother of our Lord, but there it stops. In parts of the Church, Mary is lionised (if that can be done to a woman!) and elevated to something halfway between human and divine, which is precisely the opposite direction to that which this canticle takes us. Just as in the OT reading, this is a song about servanthood, both in Mary and in the God Who called her. It is a song about reversal of expectations, where the rich are (to be) reduced and the humble exalted. It is not about reversal per se, for that, like revolutions in the political sense, do nothing but reverse the roles of persecutor and persecuted, and nothing else changes. It is about the celebration of servanthood as the most beneficial way to go.

Epistle

How is that first verse in the Epistle today as an encouragement in exactly the opposite direction of the ‘world’ today! In fact the atmosphere of this reading looks almost too passé to be contemplated. However, that is nothing other than a clear and vivid statement as to how far our present world has moved from a modus operandi that values each one of us in all our differences. These readings are becoming somewhat disturbing, are they not? And that is the point of Advent (and Christianity) anyhow. Or, to put it in other words, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Gospel
John the Baptist! Nutcase or disturber? Sometimes there is not a lot to choose between the two! It is a strange and terrible thing to see people of whatever race or culture trying to find ways to sidestep realities in life. We call it ‘spin’ these days, knowing we are left with the enormous task of sifting truth from baloney. However we all tend to do it, as we defend ourselves – especially if that defence is designed to protect us from heading in a direction unwelcome.

The challenge to John from the religious elite of Jerusalem was nothing other than diversionary tactics to free them from having to take any notice of this man’s rantings. They were certain that it was invalid because it had no connection with their control and leadership of nation and faith. And it was that control and leadership they were determined to maintain in spite of any real or imagined threat from outside. They saw strength in control, and their control in particular.

And Christians still do this blasphemous thing to each other ………..

NOTES FOR A SERMON

I may have told you this story before, so you can sleep a minute or two if I have. But quite some years ago I was asked by a branch of Mothers’ Union if I would give a talk on the Magnificat at one of their meetings close to Lady Day. I was quite happy to do so, but wondered out loud if they were ready for some of the material that is embedded in Mary’s Song. (I wonder if you know that someone else, long prior to that time, sang a song so similar that I suspect Mary of knowing it and valuing it. Dear old Hannah, mother to be of Samuel, sang a song very similar around the birth of her son. )

When the time for the talk arrived, the ladies expected a lovely, heart-warming chat about dear old Mary and her spiritual (and therefore ineffectual?) pilgrimage. Not that motherhood is an easy thing, but if it was about the Lord then it could not possibly be at all challenging and certainly not threatening.

So we chatted on about that Magnificat, and all expected, I think, emphasis on ‘all generations will call me blessed’ so that they could bathe in the reflected glory of their patron. But we went on to see what this Gospel of servanthood was all about, and the reversal of positions that would ensue from embracing this faith. We talked about removing kings from thrones, and that in terms metaphorical as well as literal. We talked about the revolution in the real sense, of little people being valued and elevated people having their pedestals taken out from under them. And the outcome of that chat was not at all in the direction or expectation of those little old ladies. ‘We have never heard anything like this!’ they stuttered, all a bit taken aback by something so unexpected.

We modern Christians, with all the wisdom of hindsight, tend to be rather scathing of the Jews of old who looked for a Messiah Who was going to solve all their problems with a wide sweep of his hand, and, as a consequence, did not recognize the Christ when He came. How could they be so foolish and so short-sighted, we sigh, when all the evidence was there? And then we proceed to do exactly the same thing with the Christ, 2,000 years later, managing to miss (or avoid) the harsh realities of Gospel because we do not like the harsher realities of the world in which we live.

Like the Jews before us, and shamans and other cult figures before and since, we have been unable to see past power and control as a solution to issues, missing the most powerful and poignant part of the Gospel.

Many more years ago, the men of our parish were invited to a meeting of a group wishing to form a branch of their so-called non-denominational pressure group in the town where we lived. I knew the instigator of this gathering, a friend of my brother’s. The meal was very pleasant and the company reasonable if a little rarefied, and after a talk from the leader we were asked to apply for membership. On one side of the paper, our details of name address and phone number were requested. On the other side was a sort of credal statement to which we were asked to append our signatures. On reading it, I found it not really possible to assent to some of the very narrow views of the Faith. I withheld my application. When asked why, I simply mentioned that I could not put my name to such tenets. That was responded to with something that really horrified me: ‘Don’t worry about that, Ron. We only have it there in order to control members.’ At that point I exploded somewhat, advising the person concerned that that made it far, far worse, not better. As you might imagine, I did not enrol.

The whole ethos of the Faith is of service, not control, not even power. Or if you wish to put it another way, the only ‘power’ that is involved is love. Even John the Baptist had to come to terms with that most remarkable variation to the Gospel. You might recall that, during his imprisonment, John sent emissaries to Jesus, because he was not sure he had pointed to the correct person in Jesus. ‘Are you the One Who is to come, or do we look for another?’ It is a stunning question in the light of some Christians’ assertion that they know it all, when even John did not. Jesus’ response was to point, not to Himself, but to the words of the prophet, Isaiah. To point to the Servant Song where even that ancient and long-dead prophet could see that God’s work is done through quiet service and not through violent power and punishment.

This Advent maybe a good time to stop, look and listen again to the readings, and to see if there is any need for us to change focus, direction or understanding of Jesus and Gospel. After all, that is why Advent exists, does it not!

2011-12-08T09:15:00.000+10:30

Sunday 11th December, 2011
Third Sunday in Advent
Welcome to Sam and his family
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School will be in practice mode today

COLLECT FOR TODAY
Eternal God, You sent John the Baptist to prepare the way for the coming of Your Son: grant us wisdom to see Your purpose, and openness to hear Your will, that we too may prepare the way for Christ Who is coming in power and glory to establish His rule of peace and justice; through Jesus Christ our Judge and our Redeemer, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS Third Sunday in Advent
Isaiah 61:1—4 & 8—11 and 1 Thess. 5:12—28 read by Arndrae L
GOSPEL John 1: 6—8 & 19—28
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family , Olive Marston, Kate Jennings, Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim (fighting cancer;) sadly, Geoff has succumbed., Eddie Barber and Bryan Baker. Aileen Shepherd is back and she thanks all for their prayers and support.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Don Caddy, Lois Hall, Ray Wilkins
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Raquel and Mark Williams, Pat & Graham Pater, Natasha and Paul Campbell
YEAR’S MIND— Molly Frost (1995) William Betson (2008), Hazel Ashworth (1992) Harold Morris (1993)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Fourth Sunday in Advent
Readings 2 Samuel 7:1—112 & 16 and Romans 16:25—27
GOSPEL Luke 1: 26—38

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY in recess
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MOTHERS’ UNION programme in recess until next year

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Jill Hilbig or Barb Capon
Next Sunday Joy Campbell or Craig Deane

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Hal S-c Intercessor Warren
Sunday after Reader Caroline Intercessor Max A

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Noeleen Carter (no flowers for Advent)
Brass Yvonne Caddy Cleaning Susan Lee

RONBLOG .... On today’s Old Testament Reading
One of the things about Christians that amazes me constantly is our failure to take notice of the very Scriptures we hold so very dear. Whilst most people are happy to delight in this, amongst others, of the Servant Songs of Isaiah, not very many are prepared to travel the journey that both Isaiah and Jesus put in front of us. For this servant song is not only in anticipation of Christ, but is a statement of how the People of God themselves need to operate. And the failure in that is enormous.
I do not need to spell out the implications for those of us here and now. Isaiah in his wonderings and musings as to what God was doing with Israel in his day remain valid and demanding for our own day. Whilst none of us can even begin to come into the same category as Jesus in terms of our capability, we all are called into the imitatio Christi when it comes to how we behave and operate as servants of all. Far too often Christians are prostituted into what I would call Adamic modes of leadership, being like gods, being control freaks or bulldozers, which result in the complete downfall of what the Church is on about. I dare you to think all this through. The Church and its people have much to answer for in their refusal to follow their own truths—like most other religions, turning a faith to live by into a less-than-alive religion.
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Today baptism at 10am
Sunday School Advent Celebration
Please join us for our very special Advent Celebration Sunday 18th December 10am at Holy Innocents' Please tell your neighbours and friends and come along! Our family service will be followed by a BYO picnic in the Hawthorndene Reserve (look for picnic tables alongside cricket oval). Join us for lunch, games and a treasure hunt from 11.30am-2.30pm. Phone Clare 8270 6445 for more info.

Christmas Services: note change of time for Children's Service
Christmas Eve 6:30pm - A Family Christmas Eve Seasonal bedtime stories and a hot-dog dinner. The perfect way to prepare for Christmas Day.
11.00pm Midnight Mass
CHRISTMAS DAY
8.00am Traditional Communion
10.00am Contemporary Communion

Christmas Bowl Envelopes
Today you will find Christmas Bowl envelopes in Church. You are encouraged to take an envelope, fill it and put in with your offerings in the collection plate. Please do it now, you don't need to wait until Christmas Day!

The Quire St Nicolas sing their Annual Service of Lessons and Carols at St. Peter's Cathedral on Sunday 18th December at 3 pm. ‘Born the King’ is the title of the Service. The Musical Director is Lesley Lewis, Organist Shirley Gale and Pianist Katrina Philbey.

Planned Giving Scheme in 2012
We started to hand out, from December 4th , the ID (or Envelope) numbers and the envelopes with the numbers on them for the Planned-Giving Scheme in 2012. As in the past years, you would receive a whole set of envelopes if you pledge weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. If you pledge quarterly or annually (semi-annually), you would receive four or two envelopes, respectively. If you have not received the Pledge Form for 2012, but you wish to be in the Scheme, please obtain the Pledge Form from Cynthia Macintosh, and return the form enclosed in an ordinary envelope addressed to The Recorder, Holy Innocents Anglican Church, PO Box 156, Belair SA 5052, through the collection plate, or place in our letterbox, or by post.

Holy innocents Calendar
If you would like to know what is coming up at Holy Innocents check out our calendar at the following link: https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=innocents.belair%40gmail.com&ctz=Australia/Adelaide

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please

RonBlog

2011-12-02T19:10:00.001+10:30

Sunday 4th December, 2011 Second Sunday of Advent

Sentence
Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. For the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all peoples shall se it together, Luke 3:4

Collect
Merciful God, You sent Your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation; give us grace to heed their warnings and to forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, Who live and reigns with You, and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins. A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD: make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out.” and I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”
You, who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!” See, the LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

PSALM 85:1-2 & 8-13

O Lord, You were gracious to Your land: You restored the fortunes of Jacob
You forgave the iniquity of Your people: and covered all their sin
I will hear what the Lord God will speak: for He will speak peace to His people, to His faithful ones whose hearts are turned to Him
Truly His salvation is near to those who fear Him: and His glory shall dwell in our land
Mercy and truth and met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall flourish out of the earth: and righteousness shall look down from heaven
The Lord will give us all that is good: and our land shall yield its plenty.
For righteousness shall go before Him: and tread the path before His feet.

EPISTLE 2 Peter 3:8 – 15a

Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation,

GOSPEL Mark 1: 1 – 8

The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way — a voice of one calling in the desert, Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”
And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS …………….

Old Testament Lesson

Perhaps because of Handel’s Messiah, these are remarkably familiar words, but because they come from the Old Testament, the point of the prophet’s exposition is missed. Small wonder that Israel’s expectation of Messiah became rather distorted and out of shape. Is it because no one expects Biblical prose to make sense?
Israel was in exile in Babylon around 550BC, and felt itself to be in a hopeless situation. Homeland ruined, capital and temple destroyed, and, in contemporary thought, all that meant final defeat of God and His Chosen ones. In wide perspective, it meant (to all intents and purposes) that evil had triumphed over good, as it always seemed to do. There seemed to be neither future nor hope. However, the prophet Isaiah had managed to explore further than the popular perception, and pointed people to something they hardly could have imagined. That is, that Isaiah looked forward to rescue from this dead-end situation, a rescue brought about (in real time and in real life) by no one less than God Himself.
It strikes me that Isaiah reached this position, not by observing current political and historical trends, but by examining Israel’s history. For Israel the Exodus was formative to its understanding of itself and God. And there, God rescued His people from almost certain extinction. He had something more for Israel to do. So the prophet encouraged Israel-in-exile to see that there would be life after this exile, and that while human strength was limited and mortal, God’s power was something else again.
History itself proved Isaiah to be correct.

Psalm

Notice, please, the emphasis in this psalm on truth and righteousness (justice.) If there is one thing to which most of the OT prophets pointed and jumped up and down about, it was precisely that. Never, never lose sight of that emphasis.

Epistle

It is a sad and strange thing that modern Christians often are unable to see beyond the literal, and so miss or misunderstand so much of Biblical comment. There are a couple of very powerful and significant things to notice in this passage. The first is Peter’s reference to the patience of God. If God operated the way humans tend to do, then He would have wiped out everyone who failed the test of truth. It would be the Flood visited for the final time. Or those 12 legions of angels would have had a field day just before the crucifixion. So why did He not? Because (a) that would have multiplied the evil [think that through if you dare!] and (b) it would have given perpetrators no opportunity to realize what they had done, and repent from it. Please read that again.
The second is just as important. When Peter (and other apocalyptic writers) wrote about suns and moons falling and heavens disappearing with a roar, they were not asking you to read them literally. Here is poetic (more than poetic, apocalyptic!) stuff, which translates better if you understand this as referring to the collapse of a culture, community or civilisation. Peter was writing about the certain outcome for a culture or country that operates on lies and falsehoods and injustices. It may take a while, but collapse will come, as John also makes very clear in his Revelation. Once again we have the almost sci-fi ‘before its time’ recognition of the great human battles between truth and falsehood. The People of God need to be aware, and to be on the side of truth.

GOSPEL

You may not have been aware of the Exodus/Exile connection referred to above in the OT Lesson section. But the Biblical writers like St. Mark certainly were. The beginning of the Gospel was the fresh and most significant rescue by God of His people. Notice the significance of the connection that Mark made with Isaiah 40 and Exodus. In other words it is important to catch sight of the entire work of God towards humanity to understand properly whatever He does.
Mind you, I think you – personally - may have had difficulty coping with someone as one-eyed as the Baptist. His message tended to be quite unequivocal, which is probably why later the Baptist was unsure whether his Cousin was the real McCoy or not. John expected a very rough outcome for people refusing the truth. Jesus’ approach would have seemed somewhat ineffective as far as John was concerned – yet it was far more God-like!!!.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

It was almost 50 years ago, when I was in Theological College training for the priesthood, and experiencing twice-daily services in the Chapel. Monday mornings was always the time when staff members preached, and I recall vividly the day when the Vice principal, later to be Archbishop of Sydney, preached on the 10th and 11th verses of today’s Psalm.
Mercy and truth and met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall flourish out of the land, and justice shall look down from heaven.

I do not remember all that Don Robinson said that day, but he certainly made me look very much closer at the nature of the Faith and of the Gospel. Spend some time, will you, pondering the nature of a world here if those particular aspects of life did flourish, and think of all the differences that would be made to relationships. This difference would be most noticeable in family relationships, in civic ones, national ones and most particularly, international ones.
It would have been almost 40 years afterwards that I was embroiled in a discussion with an avowed and very heated atheist, who was denouncing the pointlessness and purposelessness of a religion he despised. He had gone to an expensive Anglican College, so he knew it all, of course. After his tirade about useless religion, I asked him what aspects of life he was concerned about. He was a medical man of quite some distinction, so he was not short of education, articulation, …. or cash. He was no angel, which perhaps explained something of his anger at what he thought was narrow and limiting.
His answer did not surprise me, but my response did unsettle him! What that man saw as hugely important in life were the issues of justice, integrity and truth. And he thumped the table as he listed those items. When I drew his attention to the fact that we were on the same side, it almost took his breath away. The same thing has done likewise with other rather likeable atheists I have encountered over the years.

When religious people, and Christians among them, manage to avoid the real issues of life and relationships and history, that they lose credibility , with the world at large., and so does their gospel! If that is where you are, may I be rude enough to suggest that you spend some time reading the OT prophets, especially the Minor Prophets – if only because they are shorter and quicker to absorb.

Whenever the Season of Advent returns annually, I will often ask people to stop and see where the emphasis lies. It lies in the theme of the Lord Who comes. However, we often put on our blinkers and look backwards to the Lord Who came 2,000 years ago, or forwards to the Lord Who will come again, at the Parousia. When we are as myopic as that, we miss the real and present emphasis on the Lord Who comes constantly into THE RIGHT HERE AND NOW, with the challenge to respond to situations or perhaps to challenge the status quo with a Gospel reaction to whatever the challenge.

I think that poor atheist had been hoist on the petard of his own propaganda about the Faith. To be fair to him, there remain quite some Christians who would demand a strong obedience to their narrow perceptions. This certainly seems to be a period, historically, of the rise of fundamentalism in all sorts of directions, and that is profoundly sad and destructive to the Gospel. And to people! It is a defensive approach, and defensiveness tends to be a singularly unappealing thing anyhow, very damaging and self-defeating.
So the question is when is this Lord coming, and how does He come, in the right here-and-now. And the answer tends to be a surprising one, for it has become fashionable to think either that God no longer exists, or that He exists only in the fantasy of some people’s minds or memories, and that the whole business can be consigned to the dead pages of the past. Dead Gods cannot be met in the present, and certainly not in the real world and in real time. Or so the theory goes

My experience on this subject may well be somewhat limited, but I find that, in all sorts of experiences and situations in life, this Lord comes, and presents me with an opportunity, or a challenge, or even sometimes an enigma. This ‘advent’ may come in the form of someone in difficulty, needing help of some sort. It may be a chance encounter, where the challenge is to respond honestly and Christianly. It may come in the form of deeply serious illness on myself or someone else, with the enormous question of ‘where does this fit with a God supposed to be loving?’
One of the factors I find almost constant in these advents, is that there is no fuss or bother, no wide-screen, bold advertising let the world know thing. It is usually very low-key, so that I tend to be the only one even vaguely aware of the fact that anything is going on at all. It is often ‘to the least of these my brethren’ – and only that brother or sister and I are even aware of the challenge.

On the other hand, it may be something on a wider canvas that calls for me to do some solid thinking through. I remember, for instance, when the pill first became available. It was a long time ago now, and its genesis raised the ire and antagonism of a huge range of Christian people. It is still anathema for the Catholic Church ….. though not of many of its adherents. Those days (late 1960s) we used to have adult fellowship groups on Friday nights once a month, and those adults asked what was my attitude. Did I think that it offered people the chance to be promiscuous? The answer to that was, yes it does, but then anything in life has both its advantages and dis-advantages. At that time, world population was exploding and it seemed to me that, right at the time such a crisis was looming, in God’s good time, there was an answer, somewhat simple and effective. The pill is like so much else in life: when things are used truly and properly, there can be enormous benefits which I would see as God-given. But anything, anything, in life can be misused, abused, treated with disdain – and it has to be said that the way a person deals with things says little about the good or bad of the thing concerned, but does say a great deal about the integrity of the person choosing And is not that the real issue?

So what I am trying to emphasise in this short but pointed address, this: that if we see in Advent only the celebration of looking way, way backwards to the Lord Who has come (at Bethlehem) --- or looking way, way forward to the Lord Who is coming again, then we will be spending time in never-never land, and missing sight of the Lord Who comes to us constantly, to challenge us to follow Him.

2011-12-02T19:09:00.000+10:30

Sunday 4th December, 2011
Second Sunday in Advent
Baptism and Confirmation this evening
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is on again!

COLLECT FOR TODAY
Merciful God, You sent Your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
;TODAY’S READINGS Second Sunday in Advent
Readings: Isaiah 40: 1—11 and 2 Peter 3: 8—15a read by Paul H
GOSPEL Mark 1: 1—8
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, the Swaby family, Olive Marston, Kate Jennings, Blake Vause. Ivanka Cosic, Jim and Geoff (fighting cancer) and Eddie Barber. Aileen Shepherd is back and thanks all for their prayers and support.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Harper Huffa
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Marlene & Ray Dixon, Robyn & Ron Keynes, Lisa & Colin Davies
YEAR’S MIND— Violet Arnold (1980), Doris Dixon (2002) Nancy West (1996)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Third Sunday in Advent
Readings Isaiah 61:1—4 & 8—11 and 1 Thess. 5:12—28
GOSPEL John 1: 6—8 & 19—28

YOUR ATTENTION IS DRAWN to the Mission Action Plan Meeting to be held after Church at 11.30am today This is to help set goals for the year or so ahead. All welcome to contribute ideas. Notes for this meeting are available.

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY in recess
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MOTHERS’ UNION programme in recess until next year

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh
And is someone is available to operate the laptop for the Confirmation Service please?
Next Sunday Jill Hilbig or Barb Capon

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Arndrae L Intercessor Mary V
Sunday after Reader Hal S-c Intercessor Warren

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Iris Downes (no flowers for Advent)
Brass Sid and Caroline Sweet Cleaning Group 5

RONBLOG .... On today’s Readings — the Psalm in particular
When I was in Theological College training for the priesthood, it was a case of twice-daily services in the Chapel. Monday mornings was always the time when staff members preached, and I recall vividly the day when the Vice principal, later to be Archbishop of Sydney, preached on the 10th and 11th verses of today’s Psalm.
Mercy and truth and met together: righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth shall flourish out of the land, and justice shall look down from heaven. I do not remember all that Canon Don Robinson said that day, but he certainly made me look very much closer at the nature of the Faith and of the Gospel. Spend some time, will you, pondering the nature of a world here and now if those afore-mentioned aspects of life did flourish, and think of all the differences that would be made. Most noticeable differences across the range of family relationships, civic ones, national ones and most particularly, international ones.
It would have been almost 40 years afterwards that I was embroiled in a discussion with an avowed and very heated atheist, who was denouncing the pointlessness and purposelessness of a religion he despised. He had gone to St. Peter’s College here, so he knew it all, of course. After his tirade about useless religion, I asked him what aspects of life he was concerned about. He was a medical man of quite some distinction, so he was not short of education, articulation, …. or cash. He was no angel, which perhaps explained something of his anger at what he thought was narrow and limiting.
His answer did not surprise me, but my response did unsettle him! What that man saw as hugely important in life were the issues of justice, integrity and truth. And he thumped the table as he listed those items. When I drew his attention to the fact that we were on the same side, it almost took his breath away. Similar reactions have arisen likewise with other rather likeable atheists I have encountered over the years. When religious people, and Christians among them, manage to avoid the real issues of life and relationships and history, they lose credibility with the world at large, ........ and so does their gospel!

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Your attention is drawn to the notices from the Mitcham Hills Inter-Church Council . Too much detail for here, but check the notice board please.

Warren offers the 11.45am timeslot after service each Sunday for people to raise issues from sermons. Fifteen minutes should not make a great deal of change to plans on a Sunday.

Here follows a short list of the forthcoming events,….
Today vestry meeting 11:30am
Sunday Dec 4, Confirmation 7pm at the church tonight
Sunday, Dec 11 baptism at 10am
Sunday School Advent Celebration
Please join us for our very special Advent Celebration Sunday 18th December 10am At Holy Innocents' Please tell your neighbours and friends and come along! Our family service will be followed by a BYO picnic in the Hawthorndene Reserve (look for picnic tables alongside cricket oval). Join us for lunch, games and a treasure hunt from 11.30am-2.30pm. Phone Clare 8270 6445 for more info.

Christmas Bowl Envelopes
Father Christmas has come to Adelaide (and to Blackwood). The Christmas Bowl Badge Day took place last Friday in the City and some suburbs. Today you will find Christmas Bowl envelopes in Church. You are encouraged to take an envelope, fill it and put in with your offerings in the collection plate. Please do it now, you don't need to wait until Christmas Day!
The Quire St Nicolas sing their Annual Service of Lessons and Carols at St. Peter's Cathedral on Sunday 18th December at 3 pm. ‘Born the King’ is the title of the Service. The Musical Director is Lesley Lewis, Organist Shirley Gale and Pianist Katrina Philbey.

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-11-28T10:10:00.000+10:30

Sunday 27th November, 2011 First Sunday in Advent

Sentence
‘Heaven and earth will pass away,’ says the Lord, ‘but My words will not pass away.’
Mark 13:31
Collect
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which Your Son, Jesus Christ, came to visit us in great humility, than on the last day, when He shall come again in His glorious majesty to judge the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal through Him Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Isaiah 64: 1 – 9

Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you! As when fire sets twigs ablaze and causes water to boil, come down to make your name known to your enemies and cause the nations to quake before you! For when you did awesome things that we did not expect, you came down, and the mountains trembled before you. Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. You come to the help of those who gladly do right, who remember your ways. But when we continued to sin against them, you were angry. How then can we be saved? All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. No one calls on your name or strives to lay hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. Do not be angry beyond measure, O LORD; do not remember our sins forever. Oh, look upon us, we pray, for we are all your people.

Psalm 80:1-7 & 17-19

Hear, O shepherd of Israel, You Who led Joseph like a flock: You that are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine out in glory
Before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh: stir up Your power and come and save us.
Restore us again, O Lord of Hosts: show us the light of Your countenance and we shall be saved
O Lord God of Hosts: how long will You be angry at Your people’s prayer?
You have fed them with the bread of tears: and given them tears to drink in good measure
You have made us the victims of our neighbours: and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
Restore us again, O Lord of Hosts: show us the light of Your countenance and we shall be saved

Let Your power rest upon the man at Your right hand: on that son of man whom You made so strong for Yourself
And so we shall not turn back from You: give us life and we sall call upon Your Name
Restore us again, O Lord of Hosts: show us the light of Your countenance and we shall be saved

Epistle 1 Corinthians 1:1-9
Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge—because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.

GOSPEL Mark 13: 24 – 37

Jesus said “In those days, following that distress, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth: this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: he leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible
Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS ………

Old Testament
It has been mentioned before, but it bears repeating: there is nothing in religious history of any country or culture that even begins to parallel the Jewish line of prophets and their writings. Mind you, any reader needs to understand that Hebrew prophecy is no star-gazing future-predicting stuff, except in a strong but minor way. It is perhaps understood best when seen in terms the attempt to understand what God is saying to Israel in its history then and there, and where God is aiming to take Israel – at the point in history at which the prophet was speaking. The whole business is essentially down-to-earth, and focusses on matters of justice and compassion. My best description of Hebrew prophecy is the activity of the various authors to look back to see where Israel has come from, and what has happened, to see where God is taking them from there.

In this particular and vivid passage, it might be easy to assume that Isaiah is looking for some sort of miraculous Divine intervention to provide solutions to all of Israel’s problems, political and social. At the time of writing, Israel would have been in exile in Babylon, or on its way back from there: and the huge issue would have been of reconstruction of nation, faith and temple. In the wake of the Indonesian and Sri Lankan tsunami of late 2004, or the Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf States of the USA, or the Queensland and WA floods of 2010 -2011, the enormous task of rebuilding can be visualised even by those not in the thick of it. It is all so heart-breaking and vast.

One of the magnificent insights into the whole ‘God’ business shows up in this brief passage, where Isaiah writes of there is no God apart from You, Who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. In most religions, past and sometimes present, God is perceived of as both utterly distant and completely disengaged from the usual daily grind of life or as the one to be manipulated by correct rites rituals and mysteries. The Hebrew Faith had never seen God in that way, and could point to all manner of events and situation where God ‘got His hands dirty’ for the sake of His people.

So Isaiah – like us in the Season of Advent – should look for some sort of coming of God into our midst, to point the way, once again, to where real and lasting life and values are to be found. That is big enough agenda for anyone these days, is it not?

Psalm

This Psalm would appear to be either Exilic or post-Exilic, a time of great stress for Israel which was recovering from the harsh experience of first losing their homes and land, and then returning 70 years later to rebuild. The whole business was traumatic as you might imagine, and quite something of a learning curve. It was from the Exile that the synagogue arose, as an alternative to Temple for worship. And much of our modern approach to worship, with hymns, readings, prayers and sermons, stems from that harsh experience.

Epistle

It may well be a sign of my cynicism, but I implore those who would go off with the fairies here, that, after reading this intro to the Corinthians, that you also read on. This flowery language sits rather strangely with the hugely important issues that Paul deals with, in writing to this Church. In other words, it needs to be said that, whilst this may be the language of hope, there needs also to be an air of reality as well.

Please notice the important thing: that discipleship of Christ is designed to lead to a maturity of personhood. This maturity is not just for the individual but for the group, the congregation, the community, the Church – and then for the world of people around them. One of the narrowing things that may ensue from blameless is that it may be taken somewhat personally and individually. Once again, the important outcome is maturity.

GOSPEL
There is a strange capacity of Christians somehow to fail to see the wood by missing the trees. Some denominations seem to focus almost exclusively on what we call the Second Coming, whereas I have a more than sneaky suspicion that the Biblical emphasis lies quite elsewhere.

When Jesus required His followers to observe the situations surrounding them, was it a question of ‘keeping their noses clean’ or was it for something more significant? It strikes me that, in this gigantic struggle between truth and falsehood that the People of God need first of all to recognize and follow truth -- at whatever cost. That is the real issue. In other words, Jesus was – in a quite typical Hebrew manner – making sure that His followers understood that in front of them lay a period of great turmoil, as evil battled with good, and that they needed to understand very clearly where the right and true priorities lay. It is by the silence of good people that evil triumphs. God is involved in the struggle, as the Cross indicated. And God’s method of dealing with that issue is illustrated in that Cross. But He does not solve all the issues and problems for us, otherwise we would remain as ineffective incompetents!

Notes for a Sermon

If I had five dollars for every time someone, worried about the ‘way things are heading,’ asked me what I thought of the likely outcome for people, expressed their wishes that something or Someone somewhere would shake the living daylights out of everything, and bring more than a little peace and sense into life, I’d be rather wealthy. As I rework this material (October 2010) the Adventists are offering what they consider to be the Biblical approach to the huge issue, and the Christadelphians seem rarely to consider any other matter. Where does the truth lie? When we are faced by crises, big and small, we humans do long for some sort of suitable closure or resolution do we not? You could probably add a huge and long list to the sorts of situations in your life where you would love to have some fulfillment. You may well dispute the perception that force and war solves no issues at all but rather escalates them.

Can you now better understand the longings and yearnings of the prophet when he put the words together that are our OT Lesson today. Isaiah was possibly in Babylon, expecting a return to Israel even if it meant one hell of a lot of hard work. He longed for a beginning to the action. He was aware of the fact that God was perfectly capable of bringing it all about, for had not JHWH brought Israel out of certain slavery and annihilation back in Moses’ time, with a strong right hand and an outstretched arm? Isaiah – it has to be said – was right in the middle of a huge crisis for Israel, and had been for 60 years or more. When will it ever end?

The Gospel for today is looking in a very similar direction. In this apocalyptic section of Mark’s Gospel – interesting to have it here in Advent, before Christmas! – there is another taste of a sense of doomsday and crisis, and shivers down spines. It is the sort of attitude that comes to the surface whenever people face an uncertain future. I have found it rather interesting to see how, for two or three decades now, the movie industry has produced quite a number of scary-scenario films. This is because the subject is a live one for many, many people; and it also provides something of a vicarious thrill where the audience can feel involved in something scary, and still go out from the cinema and have a nice hot coffee before going home to their warm and safe bed. But real life is not like that, for real life produces some real challenges.

There, it seems to me, lies quite some of the unreality that underlines so much of today’s view of life. It is a push-button one, where huge problems are expected to be erased simply by pressing the delete key. And when that does not happen (because life is more real than that!) people come apart and seek some sort of solace in depression and isolation. Is this all that the Faith has to offer?

Notice in that OT lesson that Isaiah saw some of the genesis of such times as being the responsibility of ordinary humans. ‘No one calls on Your name or strives to lay hold on You, …… You have hidden Your face from us and made us waste away because of our sins.’

It may sound all far too old-fashioned to talk of sins these days, but I reckon we need to have a whole new and fresh look at what the old Bible has to say on this subject. It is not a matter of me having dirtied my pure soul by sinning. It is very much a matter that if I disregard and turn my back on the old verities of justice, truth, compassion, integrity and love, then I am disconnecting myself not only from reality but also from YOU --- let alone God! And the more I do that, the more relationships disintegrate, personal, social, national and even international.
The answer to these huge problems is NOT to look for some small or big ‘m’ Messiah who will do it all for me. The answer to the issue begins with me, and you, and each other individual person, to make the move back to truth, to integrity, to God! The reason for the shift back is not to avoid repercussions; rather, it is so that life and people become significant and valuable once again. When Isaiah (or anyone else in Old Testament or New) looked to the God Who rescues His people from the folly of their own making, they did not expect some BIG GURU to come and do it for them. In fact, Isaiah himself, in his absolutely remarkable series of Servant Songs, saw ever so clearly that, when God is at work, it is invariably with human input. There is ever the Abraham, the Moses, the David, Mary, Jesus, Peter and Paul. You and me.

So do not go looking for an escape route. Start wondering how and where the change can begin with you.

As we celebrate Advent, celebrating the Lord Who comes among us, please stop long enough to see that when He does come, it is not with some sort of whirlwind, whiz-bang answer to amaze everyone and take their breath away. He comes in the quiet stillness of our conviction to follow Him into the enormous challenge that He puts in front of us. This is one of the reasons why Jesus disappointed the Jews of His own day, and continues to disappoint others.

2011-11-28T10:09:00.000+10:30

Sunday 27th November, 2011
First Sunday in Advent - Baptism at 10.00am
Welcome to Hannah and her family

WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is on again!

COLLECT FOR TODAY
Eternal God, through long generations You prepared a way for the coming of Your Son, and by Your Spirit You still bring light to illumine our paths: renew us in faith and hope that we may welcome Christ to rule our thoughts and claim our love; to Whom be glory for ever. Amen.
;TODAY’S READINGS Advent Sunday Year B
Readings Isaiah 64: 1—9 & 1 Corinthians 1: - 9 read by John F
GOSPEL Mark 13: 24—37
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/
Please note that today marks the start of a new Church Year, Year B in fact.

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, Aileen Shepherd, Olive Marston, Kate Jennings., and Blake Vause. Also Ivanka Cosic, Jim and Geoff (fighting cancer) and Eddie Barber. Remember also Arndrae Luks and family on the passing of Arndrae’s Mum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: David Hale, Marcia Wilkins, Dorothy Richardson, Joyce Arnold
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Marilyn and Peter Little
YEAR’S MIND— Beryl Wilson (1995)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Second Sunday in Advent
Readings: Isaiah 40: 1—11 and 2 Peter 3: 8—15a
GOSPEL Mark 1: 1—8

YOUR ATTENTION IS DRAWN to the Mission Action Plan Meeting to be held after Church at 11.30am on Sunday 4th December. This is to help set goals for the year or so ahead. All welcome to contribute ideas.

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MOTHERS’ UNION programme in recess until next year

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Ron Keynes or Barb Capon
Next Sunday Don Caddy or Cynthia Macintosh
And looking for someone for the Confirmation Service Please let Ron know if you are available

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER

Next Sunday Reader Paul H Intercessor Ben L
Sunday after Reader Arndrae L Intercessor Mary V

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Marilyn Little (no flowers for Advent)
Brass Bonney Tomlinson Cleaning Susan Lee

RONBLOG .... On today’s Old Testament Reading—

It has been mentioned before, but it bears repeating: there is nothing in religious history of any country or culture that I know of that even begins to parallel the Jewish line of prophets and their writings. Mind you, any reader needs to understand that Hebrew prophecy is no star-gazing future-predicting stuff, except in a minor way. It is perhaps understood best when seen in terms the attempt to understand what God is saying to Israel in its history then and there, and where God is aiming to take Israel – at the point in history at which the prophet was speaking. The whole business is essentially down-to-earth, and focusses on matters of justice and compassion. My best description of Hebrew prophecy is the activity of the various authors to look back to see where Israel has come from, and what has happened, to see where God is taking them from there.

In this particular and vivid passage, it might be easy to assume that Isaiah is looking for some sort of miraculous Divine intervention to provide solutions to all of Israel’s problems, political and social. At the time of writing, Israel would have been in exile in Babylon, (c 6th Cent BC) and the huge issue would have been of the need for reconstruction of nation, faith and temple. In the wake of the Queensland and WA floods of 2010 -2011, the enormous task of rebuilding can be visualised even by those not in the thick of it. It is all so heart-breaking and vast.
One of the magnificent insights into the whole ‘God’ business shows up in this brief passage, where Isaiah writes of there is no God apart from You, Who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him. In most religions, past and sometimes present, God is perceived of as both utterly distant and completely disengaged from the usual daily grind of life or as the one to be manipulated by correct rites rituals and mysteries. The Hebrew Faith had never seen God in that way, and could point to all manner of events and situation where God ‘got His hands dirty’ for the sake of His people.
So Isaiah – like us in the Season of Advent – should look for some sort of coming of God into our midst, to point the way, once again, to where real and lasting life and values are to be found. That is big enough agenda for anyone these days, is it not?

**********************************************************************************************************
Your attention is drawn to the notices from the Mitcham Hills Inter-Church Council . Too much detail for here, but check the notice board please.

Warren offers the 11.45am timeslot after service each Sunday for people to raise issues from sermons. Fifteen minutes should not make a great deal of change to plans on a Sunday.

Home Maker Kits
The Senior Sunday School would like to thank everyone for their kind donations. We put together 3 Home Maker Kits for the Anglicare Refugee Appeal. Great job!

Here follows a short list of the forthcoming events, for your information ….
Today baptism at 10am, followed by parish BBQ to celebrate Stephen's ordination as Deacon yesterday in St. Peter's Cathedral
Sunday, Dec 4 vestry meeting 11:30am
Sunday Dec 4, Confirmation 7pm at the church
Sunday, Dec 11 baptism at 10am
And there is still the Sunday School Presentation and Picnic and precise details are yet to be set and advertised. Watch this space.
Christmas Bowl Envelopes
Father Christmas has come to Adelaide (and to Blackwood). The Christmas Bowl Badge Day took place last Friday in the City and some suburbs. Today you will find Christmas Bowl envelopes in Church. You are encouraged to take an envelope, fill it and put in with your offerings in the collection plate. Please do it now, you don't need to wait until Christmas Day!
The Quire St Nicolas sing their Annual Service of Lessons and Carols at St. Peter's Cathedral on Sunday 18th December at 3 pm. ‘Born the King’ is the title of the Service. The Musical Director is Lesley Lewis, Organist Shirley Gale and Pianist Katrina Philbey.

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-11-18T15:38:00.002+10:30

Sunday 20th November, 2011 Sunday next before Advent
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
CHRIST THE KING

Sentence
O shout to the Lord in triumph all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness and come before His face with songs of joy. Psalm 100:1

Collect
God of power and love, Who raised Your Son Jesus from death to life, resplendent in glory to rule over all creation; free the world to rejoice in His peace, to glory in His justice, and to live in His love. Unite the human race in Jesus Christ Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever.
Amen

Old Testament Lesson Ezekiel 34: 11 – 16 & 20 – 24

Thus says the Lord GOD: I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. I will feed them with good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.
********************************************
Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you pushed with flank and shoulder, and butted at all the weak animals with your horns until you scattered them far and wide, I will save my flock, and they shall no longer be ravaged; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.

Psalm 100

O shout to the Lord in triumph all the earth: serve the Lord with gladness and come before His face with songs of joy
Know that the Lord He is God: it is He Who has made us and we are His, we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Come into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: give thanks to Him and bless His holy name
For the Lord is good, His loving mercy is for ever: His faithfulness through all generations.

Epistle Ephesians 1: 15 – 23

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.
God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

GOSPEL Matthew 25: 31 -46

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Old Testament
The OT prophets are often full of vivid and powerful images of God at work; very often there is the contrast between those who had been leaders of the people, so-called shepherds who did nothing but seek their own agendas, and the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is one of quite a number of passages that takes the shepherd image – and poses such challenges. It was not only for those of Ezekiel’s time, but of all times; and it was not only an image for Judaism and the Church – it is in fact an image for all humanity, for all leadership, for all who would share responsibility for humanity. Do not miss the powerful point of all this – the other readings will point you in the same direction.

Psalm

Although there are not a lot of specifics, this psalm rejoices in what the author sees as the breadth and effect of the faith. Remember that he was Jewish! We can enter into the same joy, but do see where that points!

Epistle

Have you dared to see what Paul was talking about or have you succumbed to the polite and spiritual level that manages to avoid the realities? The second paragraph of this passage has enormous repercussions which need to be seen, in this day and age when it is said that ‘religion is irrelevant!’ It is nothing of the sort, and has an enormous – if unpopular emphasis to offer all humanity of whatever culture. Here is no dominant, exclusivist nor triumphalist doctrine, but is a pointing in the only direction that can offer peace and progress – in love.

GOSPEL

‘When the Son of Man comes in His glory’ sounds like the set-up for a grand and powerful denouement, not unlike the sort of thing ancient Jewry hoped for when the Messiah came and sorted out the enemies of Judaism. There they felt sure that God would show up the rotten so-and-sos, and make it clear that Israel was top dog.
Forget it. Christ the King was, is and always will be concerned not with power but with service and caring. Who is the focus in this passage, and the answer is those who are hungry, thirsty, estranged, sick, imprisoned! Not your usual sort of king eh? Not your standard politician, eh? Why ever is it that we so miss the point of this Faith of ours, and turn the Servant Shepherd King into some sort of power-broker? That will never be the reality, so don’t ever forget that.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

If you were ever asked to give a resume of the Faith to someone who has no real idea of it, what would you point to? Jesus Who died for you and everyone else? If ever you do that, you have almost certainly removed Jesus of the Scriptures right away from reality and into some sort of religious morass. I kid you not! What is the goal, point and purpose of the entire Biblical Faith? Heaven? No ....... right here and now. Start again if you will, at the opening chapters of Genesis, and see that what is being presented to you is a world view of singular and present significance. It is the proposition (not a good word for this at all really!) that this Faith that is explored over centuries is designed to offer a direction and means whereby human history can be changed from not complete disaster but almost, into something much closer to life as it was designed to be. From Genesis 3, with its expose of much of the cause of human ills, it is a statement that life was not meant to be like this, but was designed to be far more complete, open and valuable, with far less in the way of stuff-up.

That Old Testament Lesson illustrates part of the problem. Leadership, whether we take the picture from Ezekiel’s time or from our own, is marred by the same selfish, human power-exercise. If I am boss, you are my slave to do exactly what I tell you. I know what’s best, so get used to it. People from politicians to colleagues do it, and life becomes shattered. Power. Control. Sexual abuse, financial control. Look wherever you like and there it is staring you in the face, and demanding your attention or at most your obedience. What is becoming quite intolerable is the expectation and pressure from governments in this country to give them the freedom to do whatever they want. That is one short step left to tyranny. I remember someone writing, towards the end of the last century, that the 21st is likely to be the century of the tyrant.

You will know the old – and totally unreal! – comment that religion and politics do not mix. However one look at the Old Testament prophets, and a solid look at the Gospel, makes it quite clear that such an approach is simply the avoiding of the real issues. This is no attempt to make everyone religious; it is the expression of the conviction that the usual human means of governance tends to be counterproductive most of the time. While there will ever be Christians who will support people like G.W.Bush in the Iraqi campaign, seeing that as the true use of power, the Faith in fact turns right away from such abuse of people and position.

The Christian Faith has not only to do with matters spiritual, but with matters rather closer to the bone. From those Old Testament prophets on, the clear perception has grown that justice and truth, compassion and integrity are vital for the formation and preservation of society. These are not so much ‘religious’ statements as they are really quite basic human issues. So if I have to belt you over the head to get you to follow my programme and be obedient to me, then I have shown that my process of governance is totally false and untrue.

Now look again at Jesus’ path: when He talked about destroying evil, it was not by destroying the perpetrators but by showing up evil for what it is. The crucifixion, apart from anything else, underlines that reality. Jesus came as servant not as boss, carer not as master. And the very Eucharist itself points in exactly that same direction, even though we tend to ignore both the emphasis and the importance of the faith.
You may well feel that such an approach is disingenuous and pathetic. But did you notice the effect of the reconciliation approach of South Africa after the collapse of apartheid? Who knows what the picture would have been if the reaction then was one of revenge rather than reconciliation.

It is certainly true that it will take a book rather than a sermon to unpack all that lies behind the point and impact of the Christian approach to life and living; even Gandhi in India suffered the same fate as Jesus when he attempted to point people to a similar non-violent path. But neither experience of Gandhi nor Jesus does anything to invalidate the direction, and its values.

This is the Christ the King we worship today – the real question for us is whether or not we respond in life to Him Whom we say we worship!

2011-11-18T15:38:00.001+10:30

Sunday 20th November, 2011
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost—Christ the King

WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is not being held today!

COLLECT FOR TODAY
God of power and love, Who raised your Son Jesus from death to life, resplendent in glory to rule over all creation: free the world to rejoice in His peace, to glory in His justice, and to live in His love. Unite the human race in Jesus Christ your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

;TODAY’S READINGS SUNDAY Christ the King—Sunday next before Advent
Readings Ezek. 34:11=16 & 20-24 and Ephesians 1: 15—23
GOSPEL Matthew 25:31—46
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Max A
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, Aileen Shepherd, Olive Marston, , Kate Jennings., and Blake Vause. Also Ivanka Cosic, Jim and Geoff (fighting cancer) and Eddie Barber.
Remember also Arndrae Luks and the family on the passing of Arndrae’s Mum.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Pip Bruce, Pat Pater, Sue Daw-Thomas
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Jane Matthews (1996), Audrey Crouch (2002)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Advent Sunday Year B
Readings Isaiah 64: 1—9 & 1 Corinthians 1: - 9
GOSPEL Mark 13: 24—37

YOUR ATTENTION IS DRAWN to the Mission Action Plan Meeting to be held after Church at 11.30am on Sunday 4th December. This is to help set goals for the year or so ahead. All welcome to contribute ideas.

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North

BIBLE STUDY 10am at Pressley’s

THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MOTHERS’ UNION programme in recess until next year
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today whoever is available
Next Sunday Ron Keynes or Barb Capon

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader John F Intercessor Sue D_T
Sunday after Reader Paul H Intercessor Ben L

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Jan Tregenza Brass Margaret Carruthers
Cleaning Susan Lee
RONBLOG .... On today’s Readings—

If you were ever asked to give a resume of the Faith to someone who has no real idea of it, what would you point to? Jesus Who died for you and everyone else? If ever you do that, you have almost certainly removed Jesus of the Scriptures right away from reality and into some sort of religious morass. I kid you not! Stop and see how significant is Jesus’ emphasis on the ‘kingdom.’ And notice the dramatic changes from what could be expected....

What is the goal, point and purpose of the entire Biblical Faith? Heaven? No ....... the right here and now. Start again if you will, at the opening chapters of Genesis, and see that what is being presented to you is a world view of singular and present significance. It is the proposition (not a good word for this at all really!) that this Faith that is explored over centuries is designed to offer a direction and means whereby human history can be changed from not complete disaster but almost, into something much closer to life as it was designed to be. From Genesis 3, with its expose of much of the cause of human ills, it is a statement that life was not meant to be like this, but was designed to be far more complete, open and valuable, with far less in the way of stuff-up.

That Old Testament Lesson illustrates part of the problem. Leadership, whether we take the picture from Ezekiel’s time or from our own, is marred by the same selfish, human power-exercise. If I am boss, you are my slave to do exactly what I tell you. I know what’s best, so get used to it. People from politicians to colleagues do it, and life becomes shattered. Power. Control. Sexual abuse, financial control. Look wherever you like and there it is staring you in the face, and demanding your attention or at most your obedience. What is becoming quite intolerable is the expectation and pressure from governments in this country to give them the freedom to do whatever they want. That is one short step left to tyranny. I remember someone writing, towards the end of the last century, that the 21st is likely to be the century of the tyrant.

*********************************************************************************
There is a St, John's Grammar School Concert to be held in the Church on 25th November. The School will need access to the Church all that day—and evening.

Your attention is drawn to the notices from the Mitcham Hills Inter-Church Council re the Focus Day event on 20th November and the Pantry Christmas Hampers programme. Too much detail for here, but check the notice board please.

Warren offers the 11.45am timeslot after service each Sunday for people to raise issues from sermons. Fifteen minutes should not make a great deal of change to plans on a Sunday.

Here follows a short list of the forthcoming events, for your information ….
Nov 26, 10am Stephen's ordination at the Cathedral
Sunday, Nov 27 baptism at 10am, followed by parish BBQ to celebrate Stephen's ordination
Sunday, Dec 4 vestry meeting 11:30am
Sunday Dec 4, Confirmation 7pm at the church
Sunday, Dec 11 baptism at 10am
And there is still the Sunday School Presentation and Picnic as well as the Christmas Craft event also precise details yet to be set.

If you are disappointed at the small number of folk present this morning, please stop and realize that this is the weekend of the Parish Camp. Lots of people are at Normanville and sharing in an outdoor service .....

Home Maker Kits
The Senior Sunday School would like to thank everyne for their kind donations. We put together 3 Home Maker Kits for the Anglicare Refugee Appeal. Great job!

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-11-11T08:53:00.000+10:30

Sunday 13th November, 2011 Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ; therefore encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thess. 5: 9 – 11

Collect
Almighty God, Whose sovereign purpose none can make void; give us faith to be steadfast amid the tumults of the world, knowing that Your kingdom shall come, and Your will be done to Your eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Judges 4: 1 – 10

The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, after Ehud died. So the LORD sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly twenty years.
At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment.
She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you, 'Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin's army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.'"
Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go." And she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him.

Psalm 123

To You I lift up my eyes: You Who are enthroned in the heavens
As the eyes of the servants look to the hand of their master: or as the eyes of the maid toward the hand of her mistress
So our eyes look to the Lord our God: until He shows us His mercy
Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us: for we have had our fill of derision
Our souls overflow with the mockery of those at ease: and with the contempt of the proud.

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 5: 1 – 11

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labour pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

GOSPEL Matthew 25: 14 – 30

The Kingdom of Heaven is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them.
Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, 'Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.'
Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master replied, 'You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Old Testament

It really is a great pity when people do not read or do not know the old Biblical tales, such as this one, violent though it is. May I suggest that you read on from where this passage ends, even if you are a little squeamish. Life was rude and ugly then – so what is new?
The real point at issue in this passage lies in the wimp that was Barak. Now I suspect you have been sold on the idea that there was little room for female leadership in Israel, but the reality was that, every now and then, the patriarchal setup was undermined by remarkable women. Deborah was one of them, and good on her. She held her nerve even if the wimp did not. Boom boom!

Psalm

And there is always a limit for those who feel downtrodden and oppressed. The worm will always turn, thank heaven, and that is as it should be.

Epistle

You may like to refer again to the comments on last Sunday’s Epistle, for this stands on its shoulders, so to speak. Whilst it must be said that Paul moved somewhat from this particular position as time passed, it must also be affirmed that life tends to be somewhat as he describes, with people and leaders often all too ready to jump on and control the unaware and the naive.
As last Sunday’s emphasis was on responsibility, so this is on awareness. One needs to learn the lessons of life and relationships if one is to grow to maturity. And your Creator designed you to have that capacity to learn, understand and respond significantly. There are never any prizes for stupidity, even if is it (falsely) titled as faith.

GOSPEL
And here is the precise story or parable that is needed to underline the point and to do it strongly. (Only recently I heard comment from theologians that there is some question that this parable actually comes from Jesus! It is all too harsh and judgemental, they say. I would have to offer a serious and significant disagreement with such a view. That view sounds all too much like political correctness, and there is a good, well-used Australian epithet for that! Is there not?}
Talents, skills, personalities, even other matters can be lined up as ‘talents,’ even though money was the focus here. And the focus is also on how those gifts were put to use, or not as the case may have been. And it is a measure of the serious approach to this matter that we have the well-known epithet of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
All of the Biblical record is involved in that matter of being taken seriously. It is a foolish person who discounts either the point or power of what is being conveyed. Life is serious, and so are relationships and responsibilities, and as was mentioned in last week’s notes, to refuse such an emphasis is to be party to ultimate collapse of society and culture.

NOTES FOR A SERMON
Don’t you just love it? Have you noticed how often in Scripture, Old Testament in particular, those who delighted in retaining patriarchy often had their pretensions smothered? It is a delightful constant if you keep your eyes open. Here is one of the Judges, another situation occurs as well; then there is Ruth and Naomi (Gentile as well as female) and Esther some time later. And as I have often commented, that picture in Genesis 2 is describing such a view of humanity as removes any possibility of assuming the lower nature of woman. Yes, ‘bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh’ is comment enough, but if you are not aware of Hebrew, here is something else to ponder.
‘Adam’ is a generic, not a personal name. And Adam consists, not of the male, but of ‘ish’ and ‘ishshah’ – male and female. And there is no ‘adam’ until there is ish and ishshah together. That ancient author knew exactly what he was saying and exactly how impactful it all is. And it has taken Christians most of 2,000 years to catch up with the vision of one of the authors of the Creation stories. (And there is a great deal more in them than most people are aware.}
One of the tragedies of human existence is our sad capacity of hanging on to our bigotry, our unwillingness to see past our comfort zone or our narrow-mindedness. Perhaps the saddest part is that whatever we are afraid of, we tend to demonize. Back-door immigrants, people of other nations or cultures, different colour or different views. Even amongst ourselves, I have encountered sad chasms between those who understand the Bible literally, and those who do not. High Church or Evangelical. The list goes on and on.
I often wonder if that passage from Judges creates a lot of squirming as the story of Deborah is read in synagogues and Churches. Barak comes across as a great wimp; Deborah as a rather strong lady. And the former will not do as commanded unless he has some skirt behind which to hide. It is almost a caricature, is it not? But whatever the truth or strength of the tale, it really does underline the fact that there was no reason why Deborah should be disqualified from the role of Judge. She had the skills, the gifts, the vision, and was prepared to respond to the crisis, and who can complain about that?
There is room here for a long and impassioned sermon about the equality of women, but do not expect that from me. Such an approach tends to move off into some sort of tirade – which tends then to reduce the value of the argument. May I simply posit the Biblical reality as seen as far back as Genesis.
That remarkable Chapter 2 of Genesis spells it all out rather simply and beautifully. Reduced to its simplest, it could be said that that person saw us humans as equal and different. The differences can be attractive yet are sometimes grounds for conflict. The similarities are clearer. However, because someone, male or female, is a little different provides no real grounds for conflict, but does offer the challenge of learning from each other. Now that does provide some difficulty, because most of us reckon that we know best which way is up, and remain determined to impose our views regardless. That is often very short-sighted – and destructive.
Anyhow, the main point to take hold of and ponder is that quite early in Hebrew history, somewhere after King David perhaps, wise heads saw that patriarchal power was neither the best way to go, nor did it fit the Divine pattern. One looks back in wonder that such brave people took it upon themselves to posit what must have been a radical and different approach to life and relationships. Surely there must have been sufficient evidence to shoe the need for change. It has only taken around 3,000 years to adjust a little to the wisdom of that.

2011-11-11T08:52:00.001+10:30

Sunday 13th November, 2011

Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost—
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is on the go!

COLLECT FOR TODAY
Everliving God, before the earth was formed, and even after it shall cease to be, You are God. Break into our short span of life and show us those things that are eternal, that we may serve Your purpose in all we do; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS
Readings: Judges 4: 1—10 and 1 Thess 5: 1—11 read by Eric D
GOSPEL Matthew 25: 14—30
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Max A
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, the Swaby family, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, Aileen Shepherd, Olive Marston—doing rather getter, , Kate Jennings. Genevieve Forster, and Blake Vause. Also Ivanka Cosic, Jim and Geoff (fighting cancer) and Eddie Barber.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Pip Bruce, Pat Pater, Sue Daw-Thomas
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Jane Matthews (1996), Audrey Crouch (2002)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Christ the King—Sunday next before Advent
Readings Ezek. 34:11=16 & 20-24 and Ephesians 1: 15—23
GOSPEL Matthew 25:31—46

YOUR ATTENTION IS DRAWN to the Mission Action Plan Meeting to be held after Church at 11.30am on Sunday 4th December. This is to help set goals for the year or so ahead. All welcome to contribute ideas.
Ven. Timothy Harris is to be consecrated Assistant Bishop in St. Peter’s Cathedral at 4.00pmon 20th November. Warren has tickets ….. The great news is that Stephen Daughtry is to be made Deacon at St. Peter’s Cathedral on 26th November. …. And all are welcome to support him at this service.

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MOTHERS’ UNION Members are reminded of the End-of-year lunch at the Edinburgh Hotel, Mitcham, on Thursday 17th November at 12 noon. Any queries to Margaret Pressley or Joan Fordham.
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..

St. John’s Grammar will be using the Hall for exams from 31st October. From 8.30am to 5.00pm A list of dates and times is available in the foyer. There is also a School Concert to be held in the Church on 25th November. The School will need access to the Church all that day—and evening.

CHURCH CAMP AT NORMANVILLE – November 18,19,20
This fantastic weekend is fast approaching. Please check the list of names for sites or cabins booked at the Normanville Caravan Park. Deposits are urgently required to ensure the managers keep our cabins and campsites! If you have registered, please pay your deposit ASAP, or you may miss out. If you would like to If Deposits are urgently required to ensure the managers keep our cabins and campsites! If you have registered, please pay your deposit ASAP, or you may miss out. If you would like to attend the Sunday Beach service at 10:30 am and would like us to order the fish and chip lunch, please add your name to the Sunday lunch list. Jan Tregenza
Your attention is drawn to the notices from the Mitcham Hills Inter-Church Council re the Focus Day event on 20th November and the Pantry Christmas Hampers programme. Too much detail for here, but check the notice board please.

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Craig Deane or Don Caddy
Next Sunday Trevor Tregenza or Joy Campbell

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Iris D Intercessor Vanessa D
Sunday after Reader John F Intercessor Sue D-T

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Jan Tregenza Brass Margaret Carruthers
Cleaning Susan Lee

RONBLOG .... On today’s Old Testament Reading—
Have you noticed how often in Scripture, Old Testament in particular, those who delighted in retaining patriarchy often had their pretensions smothered? There is a delightful constant if you keep your eyes open. Here is one of the Judges, another situation occurs as well; then there is Ruth and Naomi (Gentile as well as female) and Esther some time later. And as I have often commented, that picture in Genesis 2 is describing such a view of humanity removes any possibility of assuming any lower nature of woman. Yes, ‘bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh’ is comment enough, but if you are not aware of Hebrew, here is something else to ponder.
‘Adam’ is a generic, not a personal name. And Adam consists, not of the male, but of ‘ish’ and ‘ishshah’ – male and female. And there is no ‘adam’ until there is ish and ishshah together. That ancient author knew exactly what he was saying and exactly how impactful it all is. And it has taken Christians most of 2,000 years to catch up with the vision of one of the authors of the Creation stories. (And there is a great deal more in them than most people are aware.)
One of the tragedies of human existence is our sad capacity to hang on to our bigotry, our unwillingness to see past our comfort zone or our narrow-mindedness. Perhaps the saddest part is that whatever we are afraid of, we tend to demonize. Back-door immigrants, people of other nations or cultures, different colour or different views. Even amongst ourselves, I have encountered sad chasms between those who understand the Bible literally, and those who do not. High Church or Evangelical. The list goes on and on.
I often wonder if that passage from Judges creates a lot of squirming as the story of Deborah is read in synagogues and Churches. Barak comes across as a great wimp; Deborah as a very strong lady. And the former will not do as commanded unless he has some skirt behind which to hide. It is almost a caricature, is it not? But whatever the truth or strength of the tale, it really does underline the fact that there was no reason why Deborah should be disqualified from the role of Judge. She had the skills, the gifts, the vision, and was prepared to respond to the crisis, and who can complain about that? ****************************************************************
Money matters – clearing the air.
A few people have expressed a level of confusion about the correct procedure needed to follow up pledges to the Regenerate Dinner’s ‘Archbishop’s Gift’ and also the renewal/commencement of pledges to the Planned Giving program for the parish. I hope the following will clear this up but if it doesn’t please speak to Yvonne, Warren or Stephen to make sure that you’re comfortable with what needs to happen.
1. Pledges to the Archbishop’s Gift
If you have promised a donation to help match the Archbishop’s gift to the parish please place it in an envelope marked ‘Archbishop’s Gift donation’ and put it directly in the offering plate. Alternatively hand it to Warren, Yvonne or Stephen.
2. Renewal or commencement of Planned Giving pledges.
•If you have committed to the planned giving program for next year please make sure you adjust the amount at the beginning of 2012. Some people have already made the adjustment and you are welcome to do so if you wish. Direct debit or envelopes in the plate are equally welcome.
• If you need envelopes or instructions for direct debit please speak to Min or Yvonne.
• If you have yet to commit to the planned giving program for next year please check if there is an letter for you on the tables in the foyer. If you wish to commence, continue or increase your financial commitment to the parish and you haven’t filled in a form or received a letter please speak to Warren or Stephen.
Thank you to everyone who supports the parish for the fantastic response to the Regenerate Dinner and the parish financial situation. Things are certainly looking up.

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog - not All Saints' Readings

2011-11-04T20:01:00.002+10:30

Sunday 6th November, 2011 Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. Matthew 23:11

Collect
Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scripture to be written for our learning; grant that we may so hear them. Read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of Your Holy Word we may embrace and ever hold fast to the blessed hope of everlasting life, which You have given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen

Old Testament Lesson Joshua 24: 1 – 3a & 14 - 25
Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors--Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor--lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many.
****************************************************************
Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."
But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good." And the people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the LORD!"
Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses." He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel." The people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and him we will obey." So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.

Psalm 78: 1 – 7
Give heed to my teaching, O my people: incline your ears to the words of my mouth
For I will open my mouth in a parable: and expound the mysteries of former times.
What we have heard and known: what our forebears have told us
We will not hide from their children, but declare to a generation yet to come: the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, His mighty and wonderful works.
For He did marvellous things in the sight of their ancestors: in the land of Egypt, in the country of Zoan.
He divided the sea and let them pass through: He made the waters stand up in a heap.
In the daytime He led them with a cloud: and all night long, with the light of fire.
He cleft rocks in the wilderness: and gave them drink in abundance as from springs of water.
He brought streams out of the rock: and caused the waters to flow down like rivers.
But for all this they sinned yet more against Him: and rebelled against the Most High in the desert.

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 4: 9 – 18

Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.
But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

GOSPEL Matthew 25: 1- 13

Jesus said "The kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! There will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.'
And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
What a powerful and timely passage this is, from Israel’s own experience just before being permitted to enter the Promised Land. ‘Choose you this day whom you will serve’ has long been a very challenging and moving ‘sermon’ from Joshua to those who were, sort of, God’s people. The passage is a reminder of the way in which most people, in spite of the determined choice for God, still carry enormous amounts of old baggage of religion, superstition and habit.
I had been brought up on the (remarkably false) proposition that when a person turned to God, then all of those old issues disappeared. That is never the case, for one needs to pilgrim on to discover the extent to which old patterns hold sway. Many times this shows up in quite unexpected ways, occasionally quite unsettling. If this happens to you, do not be surprised, but simply recognize the reality – and move on from there. Sadly, Jewish history shows that Israel failed rather miserably in maintaining their loyalty, which tends to be part of the human dilemma, does it not!

Psalm

And centuries later, even the old psalmist was aware both of God’s activity and Israel’s inconsistency. When will we ever learn ..............

Epistle

It is not surprising that the Thessalonians would have had similar problems to the ancient Jews; their short background in the faith would have left lots of gaps in their understanding of God and the Faith. The Apostle was really quite gentle with this lot, and offered some assurance to them about what we might have heard referred to as the ‘Last Things.’
May I reiterate comments from previous years and readings about Paul and the Parousia. Before anyone tries to build all manner of schema about what is said to happen at the Lord’s Return, it is always hugely important to note how even the Apostle himself moved his views and developed his theology as time and years passed. These letters to the Thessalonians were early in his ministry, so one needs to first discover when the various epistles were written and then place then in order of date of writing. Then notice the movement and development of Paul’s comments about the ‘End Times.’ Then, if you are really game, and understand apocalyptic writing, read through and understand what John had to say in his Revelation. Then you may well end up with a remarkably different understanding of the ‘Second Coming,’ and so avoid so many of the rather crazy views that seem to circulate periodically .

GOSPEL
If you are rather put off by the rejection of the five foolish bridesmaids , then realize that this is part of the parable – and part of the culture of those days. The whole point of the story is to underline what Israel failed to do all those centuries ago: this is a tale to encourage, perhaps even to demand that people take responsibility for their actions, -- and that tends to be somewhat of a forgotten issue in today’s world.
Here is a lovely tale, with a real sting to it. If one is to be in the Kingdom, then one needs to take full responsibility for one’s actions, outlooks and attitudes. If one gives one’s word, then one has to stick with it.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

If there is one thing about life today, and outcomes from life, today’s readings really do offer a different but wholly sensible response to choice and action. It is a day or two since, as I write this, that there was a remarkably tragic and foolish road accident just north of the Barossa Valley. Apparently, two young women were riding on the bonnet of a motor vehicle on the main, sealed road when one fell of and was killed. Her sister, we are informed by news outlets, went to her aid and she too was killed by a passing car. The two children of one of the women were in the vehicle and apparently witnessed the hideous event. This is said to have occurred at about 3.00am. The sad point of mentioning this totally sad tale is that all manner of excuses were offered in the attempt to explain what had happened. It was nobody’s fault; its cause was inexplicable. With all due respect, the truth of the situation lies rather elsewhere, does it not? If I carry on like that, drunk or sober, I am responsible for the ghastly outcome no matter how I attempt to get around it all.

Should you think that to be unfair, then look at almost any other situation where the attempt is made to lay the blame on someone or something else. This is not the preserve of the ordinary person; it is a constant from our political leaders down to the humblest citizen, Not just with road accidents, but with decisions made about the Murray, the Desal Plant, and it won’t be long before it applies to the Adelaide Cricket Ground or the RAH, new or old. So much of society is taken up by those who seem to delight in avoiding issues and side-stepping responsibility. And that is the top part of a very slippery slope indeed.

So much of the emphasis of today’s readings point in exactly that direction. From Israel’s story as the people entered to Promised Land, to that odd little parable about a wedding. You have a task to fulfill; so go ahead and do it properly.

One is left wondering quite why the current view of things has dropped so very low. It is not as if such a process has any value or offers any real benefit to anyone except perhaps the person who refuses to oblige. It is a strange thing about so many similar issues – the line of least resistance is followed, and the more that is the case, the more devastating the outcome emerges. On the other hand, it is worth exploring the relative value of the better path. While there may well be some superficial disadvantages initially, the far more widespread advantages show up very quickly.

If there is one thing that produces maturity in individuals and communities, it is precisely the extent to which responsibility is taken. Maturity is hardly something one might consider wearing on one’s sleeve, so to speak, but the increase in trust and reliability one can expect from others means a huge boost to confidence we can have in each other. You must know what it is like when someone offers or even promises to do something, and then when the crunch comes, you find that the matter has been ignored. All manner of interesting and even exciting things hoped for simply collapse – and that person is unlikely to be relied on ever again.

It goes almost without any further explanation. As it has often been said: when people take responsibility the sky is the limit for their worth and value. When the opposite happens life simply becomes a struggle for existence. So what are we waiting for?

2011-11-04T20:01:00.001+10:30

Sunday 6th November, 2011
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost—All Saints’ All Souls’
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is on the go!
COLLECT FOR TODAY
Eternal God, neither life nor death can separate us from Your love; grant that we may serve You faithfully here on earth, and in heaven rejoice with Your saints, who ceaselessly proclaim Your glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever Amen
;TODAY’S READINGS All Saints’ Day
Revelation 7: 9—17 & 1 John 3:1-3 read by Vanessa D
GOSPEL Matthew 5: 1—12
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/ but not on All Saints’ Readings…..
PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Don B
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, the Swaby family, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, Aileen Shepherd, Olive Marston, Kate Jennings. Genevieve Forster, and Blake Vause. Also Ivanka Cosic, Jim and Geoff (fighting cancer) and Caroline Sweet doing a little better lately.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jim Scrivens, Lola Strods
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY -
YEAR’S MIND— Mary Barrow (1992) Valerie Loftes (2004)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY
Readings: Judges 4: 1—10 and 1 Thessalonians 5: 1—11
GOSPEL Matthew 25: 14—30

YOUR ATTENTION IS DRAWN to the Mission Action Plan Meeting to be held after Church at 11.30am on Sunday 4th December. This is to help set goals for the year or so ahead. All welcome to contribute ideas.

Ven. Timothy Harris is to be consecrated Assistant Bishop in St. Peter’s Cathedral at 4.00pmon 20th November. Please RSVP by Thursday 10th November 2011 at kpalmrose@adelaide.anglican.com.au if you plan to attend.

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome. And don’t they make a lovely contribution as they sing during Communion.
MOTHERS’ UNION Branch meets at 2.00pm on the third Thursday of the month in the Germein Room. All are welcome.

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, visits and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
Iris is calling for more volunteers for this special ministry—please contact her if you are able to be part of this work.

St. John’s Grammar will be using the Hall for exams from 31st October. From 8.30am to 5.00pm A list of dates and times is available in the foyer.
Grateful thanks have rung out to all those who participated in the big Clean Up Day around the Church. The list of people involved was great and the effort stunning. Thanks to all involved.
CHURCH CAMP AT NORMANVILLE – November 18,19,20
This fantastic weekend is fast approaching. Please check the list of names for sites or cabins booked at the Normanville Caravan Park. Deposits are urgently required to ensure the managers keep our cabins and campsites! If you have registered, please pay your deposit ASAP, or you may miss out. If you would like to If Deposits are urgently required to ensure the managers keep our cabins and campsites! If you have registered, please pay your deposit ASAP, or you may miss out. If you would like to attend the Sunday Beach service at 10:30 am and would like us to order the fish and chip lunch, please add your name to the Sunday lunch list. Jan Tregenza

SAMARITAN'S PURSE - OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD.
Thank you to everyone who has filled a Shoe Box for the above. We are sending 24 Boxes and 3 Donations on behalf of the Church this year. Everyone of these will be gratefully received by the young children. Marlene Dixon

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Min Araki or Cynthia Macintosh
Next Sunday Craig Deane or Don Caddy

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Eric D Intercessor Max A
Sunday after Reader Iris D Intercessor Vanessa D

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Sue D-T Brass Rosemary Conlon
Cleaning Group 3

Warren offers the 11.45am timeslot after service each Sunday for people to raise issues from sermons. Fifteen minutes should not make a great deal of change to plans on a Sunday.
Special Note: The Blackwood-Belair Catholic Parish is holding a Monster Fair on13th November (from 11am) to help raise the faire for their priest to return to Kenya for Christmas. All are welcome

RONBLOG .... On today’s Readings—not the All Saints’ day readings, sorry .....

If there is one thing about life today, and outcomes from life, today’s readings really do offer a different but wholly sensible response to choice and action. It is a day or two since, as I write this, (quite some time ago now) there was a remarkably tragic and foolish road accident just north of the Barossa Valley. Apparently, two young women were riding on the bonnet of a motor vehicle on the main, sealed road when one fell of and was killed. Her sister, we are informed by news outlets, went to her aid and she too was killed by a passing car. The two children of one of the women were in the vehicle and apparently witnessed the hideous event. This is said to have occurred at about 3.00am.
The sad point of mentioning this tale is to illustrate the way that all manner of excuses were offered in the attempt to explain what had happened. It was nobody’s fault; its cause was inexplicable..... With all due respect, the truth of the situation lies rather elsewhere, does it not? If I carry on like foolishly and dangerously, drunk or sober, I am responsible for the ghastly outcome no matter how I attempt to get around it all.
Should you think that to be unfair, then look at almost any other situation where the attempt is made to lay the blame on someone or something else. This is not the preserve of the ordinary person; it is a constant from our political leaders down to the humblest citizen, Not just with road accidents, but with decisions made about the Murray, the Desal Plant, and it won’t be long before it applies to the Adelaide Cricket Ground or the RAH, new or old. So much of society is taken up by those who seem to delight in avoiding issues and side-stepping responsibility. And that is the top part of a very slippery slope indeed.
So much of the emphasis of today’s readings point in exactly that direction. From Israel’s story as the people entered to Promised Land, to that odd little parable about a wedding. You have a task to fulfill; so go ahead and do it properly.
****************************************************************
\BUSH CHURCH AID SOCIETY invites all to Bishop’s Court, North Adelaide from 4.00pm to 8.00pmon 19th November for the SUMMERTIME MARKET—free entry, and homemade food and entertainment available. Lots of fumn for kids and adults ... More info on www.bushchurchaid.com.au

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-10-29T06:03:00.001+10:30

Sunday 30th October, 2011 Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. Matt. 23:11

Collect
God our Father, Whose will it is to bring all things to order and unity in our Lord Jesus Christ; may all the peoples of the world, now divided and torn apart by sin, be brought together under His sovereign rule of love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Joshua 1: 7 – 17

The LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the Ark of the Covenant, 'When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.'"
Joshua then said to the Israelites, "Draw near and hear the words of the LORD your God."
Joshua said, "By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap."
When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant were in front of the people. Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.

Psalm 107: 1-7 & 33-37

O give thanks to the Lord for He is good: for His loving mercy is for ever
Let the Lord’s redeemed say so: whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy
And gathered in from every land, from the east and from the west: from the north and from the south
Some went astray in the wilderness and in the desert: and found no path to an inhabited city
They were hungry and thirsty: and their heart fainted in them
Then they cried to the Lord in their distress: and He took them out of their trouble
He led them by the right path: till they came to an inhabited city

He turns the rivers into desert: and the springs of water into thirsty ground
He makes of a fruitful land a salty waste: because its inhabitants are evil
He turns the wilderness into a pool of water: and parched ground into flowing springs
And there He settles the hungry: and they build a city to live in.
They sow fields and plant vineyards: which give them a fruitful harvest

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 3: 5 – 13

I could bear it no longer, so I sent to find out about your faith; I was afraid that somehow the tempter had tempted you and that our labour had been in vain. But Timothy has just now come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love. He has told us also that you always remember us kindly and long to see us--just as we long to see you. For this reason, brothers and sisters, during all our distress and persecution we have been encouraged about you through your faith. For we now live, if you continue to stand firm in the Lord. How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy that we feel before our God because of you? Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you face to face and restore whatever is lacking in your faith. Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we abound in love for you. And may he so strengthen your hearts in holiness that you may be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints.

GOSPEL Matthew 23: 1 – 12

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father-- the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
We become increasingly aware of the need in our own culture let alone any other, of the clear hand-over of authority and responsibility after the death or non-election of our leaders. It is always important for all people to see who is ‘it,’ – and so it was with the death of Moses and the anointing of Joshua.
The next ritual, the crossing of the Jordan, was similarly precise; and while you may be taken by the apparent miracle of crossing dry-shod, remind yourself of the similar situation when the Red Sea was crossed 4o years before. Please note that the issue is not so much the miracle as the symbolic business: water, and especially the sea has always been – I understand – the symbol in Jewish thought for all that is evil. (See my notes on Revelation for a fuller exposition.) Mind you, it has to be said that (a) the Jordan is or was a trickle compared to any real river. Australian creeks are a fairly clear parallel, and (b) the description here of the blocking of the river by landslide further upstream is indicative of quite a few miracles. All a matter of timing rather than some sort of great Divine intervention.

Psalm
Israel was very fond of singing the praises of God in their worship, constantly referring to His hand among them in the vicissitudes of life and history. This snippet shows references to the Exodus and also, I suspect, to the Exile. One of Israel’s great gifts to the rest of humanity was its capacity to recognize, from the events of their life, quite something of the nature of JHWH.

Epistle
One gets the sneaky suspicion, reading between the lines of Paul’s letters to Thessalonica, that those Christians were not the brightest lot! There is some evidence to show that they grabbed hold of part of what the Apostle taught, but like many people today, adapted some of it to suit their somewhat laid-back culture. It is a very sad fact of Christian history that people and the Church have a capacity for what suits them, ignoring many other issues that present challenge or change of behavior or action.

GOSPEL
It is not just the ancient Pharisees who like to be seen and to show off. Modern humans in our culture are greatly given to such showmanship; it says little for the ordinary person who seems to be caught up in such charades, and copy their idols.
Jesus was not fooled by any of those people – especially when the Gospel He was upholding had far more to do with giving service rather than demanding it from others. This whole passage, like many others, is our Lord’s attempt to underline the necessity of both equality of all humans and the need of each of us to be servants of others. It may not be popular nor politically correct, but it is very much part of the Gospel of reconciliation.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

I am always rather painfully aware of the tendency of some Christians to be quite critical about anyone who dares to produce sermons that are not ‘the Gospel!’ It is a critique fairly often laid at my feet, but that is because I tend to see Gospel in terms wider than some. The Faith has far more to do with the issues of ordinary life than it does about getting me to heaven. This Sunday’s Readings encourage me in that wider scope …. And I hope that you can see that too.

If there is one particular issue that stands out for me in today’s readings, it has to do with the passing of responsibility from Moses to Joshua. I find echoes of that movement forward in the other readings as well. And it is an important issue, especially in this day and age where so many of the older Christians wonder quite what lies in front of faith and Church when we are pushing up daisies.

There is always a sense of loss and of disconnection when someone in leadership hands over the reins to a lesser light, a younger person, someone apparently inexperienced. If someone well-loved has been leading the show for a long time, there will always be those who try to hold on to the comfort of known directions and familiar patterns. Anything different is felt to be threatening. So the feet go to the brakes, and hesitancy tends to become the order of the day. As we express it these days, our comfort zone has become threatened and we like that NOT.

Try being a Joshua! You would know that you have huge shoes to fill, as the saying goes, and you will be painfully aware of resistance from all sorts of directions. But you will also be aware of the size of the task, and will almost certainly have some ideas that you would wish to pursue. Any young priest, or any new priest in a parish will know all about that.

I am fairly certain that I am not in that same situation again. Old age does have some advantages. I am also aware of the fact that so-called new ideas can be of valuable ….. or useless. I am also painfully aware of the fact that simply because something has been sanctified by long practice, it does not mean that it needs to be continued without variation. Or rejection.

I suspect that the point and purpose of this soliloquy is to encourage younger people in exploring quite where it is that God is leading us as we move into another century and into new territory. There is also a great sense that, while we need to move ahead, we need also to be VERY aware of the basic realities of the Faith. Retain what is important; let go of what is not. Remember, though, that individual visions of what is important may well be rather myopic ….. limited and narrow.

As a final and parting shot in all this, I find myself being hauled back to that quite ancient of expressions of the Faith, the Shema Israel. When all is boiled down, the Faith, Hebrew and Christian, is expressed in the Shema. Love God, love your neighbour, --- without losing sight of the need to love yourself, oddly enough. As we realize these days, if I despise my self I will, ipso facto, despise you, too.

Do you remember back in the olden days, when the priest had to read out the Old Testament Lessons and you had all those jaw-breaking names from early Israelite names? Attention seemed to head in that direction and the rather more important bits failed to register. It was ever so, and tends to remain the same, does it not?
The important thing to focus on today is – even way back then – there was a necessary transition of responsibility, if not power, and that tends to be a hard row to hoe for people of any time. It must have been far harder for Israel, after the long-range trek from Egypt. Remember, too, that the only person who had begun that exodus with Moses was the one being anointed new leader. None of the rest of the mob would have known anything else but Moses.
And ancient Israel was rather skilled at grumbling. Murmuring was the active word. And here was another water barrier to cross. And the people were able to cross dry-shod. Whatever did that mean? From the time of the Exodus or even before, large areas of water appeared to be symbols of evil; was the crossing of the sea escape from evil? Was the crossing of the Jordan another escape from evil? Even John, in Revelation, in the scene of the Throneroom of God saw the lake of water before God as indication of the fact that in the end, evil is still somehow under God’s feet. It will be destroyed; just as evil was – in a singular way- destroyed by the Cross. For evil has its sting removed when it is seen for what it is. Whatever the case. The picture of Israel crossing sea and river dry-shod indicates a lack of effect on the People. Or is that, like many of our prayers, in the language of hope?

From that idealism to the harsh reality - that is where the Gospel takes us. In other words, the tragedy lies in the way that the Moses Gospel finds its failure and let-down at the hands of Moses’ latter-day disciples. There the great tragedy lies in the way in which what was designed to be a faith to live by had been turned into an instrument of division, of separation of the good from the bad, though the reality is that such separation was the opposite to how the Pharisees would have understood it. When a living faith is turned into a destructive religion, it is a matter of the powerful controlling and demeaning the weak. There lies the horror of it all.

Small wonder that Jesus had little difficulty in putting His finger on the real issue and exposing it all. Even less wonder that He turned the tables when the emphasis of His preaching was to uphold the humble and remove the rug from under the feet of the powerful. Sadly, it is rare to find the Christian Church taking enough notice of the real Gospel.

I suspect there is enough there to ponder … and preach

2011-10-29T06:02:00.001+10:30

Sunday 30th October, 2011
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is on again.

COLLECT FOR TODAY
Creator God, You have filled the world with beauty; open our eyes to behold Your gracious hand in all Your works, that, rejoicing in Your whole creation, we may learn to serve You with gladness, for the sake of Him through Whom all things were made, Your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
;TODAY’S READINGS Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Readings: Joshua 3: 7—17 & 1 Thess. 3: 5—13 read by David C
GOSPEL Matthew 23: 1—12
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, the Swaby family, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, Aileen Shepherd, Olive Marston, Kate Jennings. Genevieve Forster, and Blake Vause.
Yvonne and Maxine Myers are deeply grateful to Joan Durdin for her constant care through all of this year. This, together with the practical care of Helpline, (delicious meals, and transport,) has been love in action, and has enabled complete healing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Peter Little, Colin Davies, Iris Downes
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY - Cathy & Graeme Browne
YEAR’S MIND— Olive Forster (1992) Jane Matthews (1996)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY
REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome. And don’t they make a lovely contribution as they sing during Communion.
MOTHERS’ UNION Branch meets at 2.00pm on the third Thursday of the month in the Germein Room. All are welcome.
HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, visits and other types of assistance. Call Iris Downes on 8278 3260 and Marlene Dixon on 8278 8568..
Iris is calling for more volunteers for this special ministry—please contact her if you are able to be part of this work.

St. John’s Grammar will be using the Hall for exams from 31st October. From 8.30am to 5.00pm A list of dates and times is available in the foyer.

CHURCH CAMP AT NORMANVILLE – November 18,19,20
This fantastic weekend is fast approaching. Please check the list of names for sites or cabins booked at the Normanville Caravan Park. If you will be attending the Sunday Beach service at 10:30 am and would like us to order the fish and chip lunch, please add your name to the Sunday lunch list. Jan Tregenza
ADDED NOTE - URGENT
Deposits are urgently required to ensure the managers keep our cabins and campsites! If you have registered, please pay your deposit ASAP, or you may miss out. If you would like to join the camp, please call Jan on 8278 9536.

SAMARITAN'S PURSE - OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD.
Thank you to everyone who has filled a Shoe Box for the above. We are sending 24 Boxes and 3 Donations on behalf of the Church this year. Everyone of these will be gratefully received by the young children. Marlene Dixon

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Craig Deane or Trevor Tregenza
Next Sunday Min Araki or Cynthia Macintosh
READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Vanessa D Intercessor Don B
Sunday after Reader Eric D Intercessor Max A

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Anna Kelly Brass Yvonne Caddy
Cleaning Susan Lee

Treasure Market—Special Meeting
Today we plan to meet after the 10am service to ‘regenerate’ the Treasure Market for 2012. We need people and ideas to raise funds and mission—see Jan Tregenza please.

Warren offers the 11.45am timeslot after service each Sunday for people to raise issues from sermons. Fifteen minutes should not make a great deal of change to plans on a Sunday.
Special Note: The Blackwood-Belair Catholic Parish is holding a Monster Fair on13th November (from 11am) to help raise the faire for their priest to return to Kenya for Christmas. All are welcome

RONBLOG .... On today’s Readings
If there is one particular issue that stands out for me in today’s readings, it has to do with the passing of responsibility from Moses to Joshua. I find echoes of that movement forward in the other readings as well. And it is an important issue, especially in this day and age where so many of the older Christians wonder quite what lies in front of faith and Church when we are pushing up daisies. The same issues arise for this State with the change of leadership there.
There is always a sense of loss and of disconnection when someone in leadership hands over the reins to a lesser light, a younger person, someone apparently inexperienced. If someone well-loved has been leading the show for a long time, there will always be those who try to hold on to the comfort of known directions and familiar patterns. Anything different is felt to be threatening. So the feet go to the brakes, and hesitancy tends to become the order of the day. As we express it these days, our comfort zone has become threatened and we like that NOT. However, try being a Joshua! You have huge shoes to fill, as the saying goes, and you will be painfully aware of resistance from all sorts of directions. But you will also be aware of the size of the task, and will almost certainly have some ideas that you would wish to pursue. Any young priest, or any new priest in a parish will know all about that.
I am fairly certain that I am glad not to be in that same situation again. Old age does have some advantages. I am also aware of the fact that so-called new ideas can be of valuable .. or useless. I am also painfully aware of the fact that simply because something has been sanctified by long practice, it does not mean that it needs to be continued without variation. Or rejection.
The point and purpose of this soliloquy is to encourage younger people in exploring quite where it is that God is leading as we move into another century and into new territory. There is also a great sense that, while we need to move ahead, we need also to be VERY aware of the basic realities of the Faith. Retain what is important; let go of what is not. Remember, though, that sometimes an individual vision of what is important may well be rather myopic ….. limited and narrow.
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BUSH CHURCH AID SOCIETY invites all to Bishop’s Court, North Adelaide on 19th November from 4.00pm to 8.00pm for the SUMMERTIME MARKET—free entry, and homemade food and entertainment available. Lots of fumn for kids and adults ... More info on www.bushchurchaid.com.au

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-10-24T09:22:00.001+10:30

Sunday 23rd October, 2011 Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment: and a second is like it. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets. Matthew 23:37

Collect
O God Whose Son has taught us that love is the fulfilment of Your law; stir up within us the fire of Your Holy Spirit, and pour into our hearts Your greatest gift of love, so that we may love You with our whole being, and our neighbours as ourselves, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Deuteronomy 34: 1- 12

Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the LORD showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea, the Negeb, and the Plain--that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees--as far as Zoar. The LORD said to him, "This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'; I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there."
Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord's command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigour had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses. Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. He was unequalled for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Psalm 90: 1 – 6 & 13 – 17

Lord, You have been our refuge: from one generation to another
Before the mountains were born, or the earth or the world were brought to be: from eternity to eternity, You are God
You turn us back into dust: saying, ‘Return to dust, O children of Adam.’
For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday passing: or like one watch in the night
You cut them short like a dream: like the fresh grass of the morning
In the morning it is green and flourishes: at evening it is withered and dried up

Relent, O Lord, How long will You be angry?: take pity on Your servants.
O satisfy us early with Your mercy: that all our days we may rejoice and sing.
Give us joy for all the days You have afflicted us: for the years we have suffered adversity
Show Your servants Your work: and let their children see Your glory.
May the gracious favour of the Lord our God be upon us: prosper the work of our hands, O prosper the work of our hands

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 2: 1 – 13

You yourselves know, brothers and sisters, that our coming to you was not in vain, but though we had already suffered and been shamefully mistreated at Philippi, as you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in spite of great opposition. For our appeal does not spring from deceit or impure motives or trickery, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the message of the gospel, even so we speak, not to please mortals, but to please God who tests our hearts. As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children.
So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. You remember our labour and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers.
As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. We also constantly give thanks to God for this, that when you received the word of God that you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word but as what it really is, God's word, which is also at work in you believers.

GOSPEL Matthew 22:34 – 46

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbour as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: "What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." He said to them, "How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, 'The Lord said to my Lord, "Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet"'? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?" No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament

Here is an epitaph to end all epitaphs – the passing of Moses, who here was classified as a prophet. That is an interesting statement to make about this person. Added to this passage is the passing of the mantle to Joshua, son of Nun. That transition is just as interesting.

There is some tragedy in this passage; because of his intransigence, Moses was refused permission to enter the Promised Land. That must have torn at Moses’ heartstrings, but he had erred powerfully you might recall. He had the temerity to assume the role of God in dispute with Israel, and that was the end of that.

So Moses died, and his grave is unknown to this day – meaning that it would never be possible to make a shrine out of that place, for that would have the distinct likelihood of distorting the Hebrew faith. It is a sad fact of history that Christians have not followed that pattern of not having shrines.

Psalm
The ancient Jews were nothing if not practical and honest in their assessment of humanity. We are not immortal, as the author clearly indicates, and as we have just seen that applies even to noted people like Moses. So the clear distinction is drawn between eternal God and mortal humanity. Not a bad base from which to work.

And in a way the prayer at the end of this psalm had already been answered. One clear perception of the Hebrew Faith has always been that not only was the Faith effective but that God was unchanging, as were His attributes and values. That factor is a universe away from any chaotic view of life.

Epistle
From the end of Moses, so to speaks, to the start of Paul, whose ministry was to places far distant from Israel. But with the same profound caring for people in spite of the stresses and strains of the role, Paul presented the same optimistic outlook on life, even for those in a far-from-satisfactory situation. Never imagine that life was easy for the first-generation Christians in a pagan land.

GOSPEL
It may doubtless be a surprise to us who have lived with this story all our lives, to find that it may well be the case that the questioner of our Lord did not expect the answer He gave. Even less did that lawyer expect such a powerful response for the Torah – so vastly important to Jews. However, the said lawyer did not grasp the enormity of Jesus’ response, for he would have assumed that Jesus’ concern and attention would go no further than Jewry.
The second challenge, from Jesus to the Pharisees, may be quite confusing to the modern reader. That confusion may well remain until one sees why Jesus raised the question at all. Our Lord had to answer to a wide range of titles epithets and misnomers, and ‘Messiah’ was one of them. Sadly, much of Hebrew thought for centuries up to that time had focussed on the longing for another King David, for under him the nation was at its strongest and with widest boundaries than any other time in its history. Like most people, the hope was for a return to the halcyon days of power and pomp, and most of all for the vindication of Israel – being proved right in its life, faith and God.
So this rather confusing conversation was, seems to me, an attempt on the part of Jesus, to force a rethink in the minds of His interlocutors, to see way past any power politics to issues far more significant and important. Sadly, not only was that attempt far from successful, there remain to this day Christians who are as triumphalist as the old Pharisees, looking to power, of numbers or of wealth to bring in the great new age. Such folk need to study their Scriptures (and their secular history!) far more seriously

NOTES FOR A SERMON

What a confusing Gospel this is today. If you think it to be so, then may I make a comment not all that helpful either? It is an answer, of a sort anyhow.
I have (still I hope) a delightful Jewish friend whose husband’s funeral I celebrated quite a number of years ago. Both then and in the years subsequent, we have had quite a series of email discussions and debates about the Faith. I have found her Jewishness a delight in her perception and meeting with the Almighty in every aspect of her life. On the other hand, when discussing particular passages of Scripture (Old Testament of course) I have to confess to being utterly confused by her approach to, for example, the writings of Isaiah. What Isaiah says to me is a universe away from what the prophet says to her - and her Jewish people. Neither of us can make the slightest connection with each other’s ‘interpretation,’ and that is particularly so when it comes to the Servant Songs.
No doubt quite some of that extraordinary difference must have to do with cultural issues and outlooks. I have no doubt about the veracity of my friend. On the other hand, it would seem to me to be more a matter of avoiding the issues. That it can hardly be, for that friend is determinably open to the Creator.
Now you would have to say, would you not, in that conversation with Pharisees, their focus was singularly one-eyed, one might say. They were certain that Jesus had all but thrown out the Torah, which would have meant that He was hoist on His own petard. He would have destroyed His own case to be listened to. However on that issue of the Law, the Shema Israel, and Jesus was completely and totally orthodox. (It spoilt the game of those rather nasty Pharisees.)
However, Jesus was not finished with them it would appear. He was wanting them to come a step or two closer, and give some thought to the relationship between God and Himself. Certainly it is a somewhat obscure passage from the Psalms that Jesus employed, and certainly it would have made those ancient theologians work their little butts off, and they sensed that Jesus was painting them into somewhat of a corner. A tactical retreat was the best they could do, before they dropped themselves into a rather deep hole.
Funny thing about that! In many discussions I have had with people of vehement no-faith, they love to raise issues – usually quite out of left field, as to what we are said to believe, and caricaturise it as stupid, superstitious, unacceptable. When I underline what we do believe and why, they tend to react in as way rather similar to those old Pharisees. Retreat. Or refuse to discuss further on the grounds that ‘you are not dealing with the subject, Ron.’ Never be put off by this rather sad and pathetic smokescreen. Nor push the issue at them further. I suspect they know when they are outside their safe boundaries.
What am I trying to say?
Really, that we tend to be unaware of the veracity and the power of the Faith once delivered. It is not easily demolished, unless of course we have slipped into what really is some sort of superstitious ‘belief.’ The facts of the Faith are incontrovertible. The reality of the eternal verities are beyond reproach. As I have mentioned before, even atheists are somewhat dumbfounded to discover that the real life issues that the Hebrew-Christian Faiths uphold are not limited to religious (how I hate that word!) people. They are applicable to all and every human life. Where would we be without truth and justice, integrity and compassion, and all that both our Lord and the OT prophets propounded. And God does not punish the living daylights out of people, here or in eternity, but longs for them to leave behind selfish and destructive patterns and live life as it has always been designed to be lived.

RonBlog

2011-10-14T08:50:00.001+10:30

Sunday 16th October, 2011 Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s. Matthew 22:21

Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ You have revealed Your glory among the nations; grant that Your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in proclaiming the cross to be the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Exodus 33: 12 – 23

Moses said to the LORD, "See, you have said to me, 'Bring up this people'; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favour in my sight.' Now if I have found favour in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favour in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." The LORD said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." And Moses said to Him, "If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favour in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth."
The LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favour in my sight, and I know you by name." Moses said, "Show me your glory, I pray." And the Lord said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, 'The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "You cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."

Psalm 99

The Lord is King, le the nations tremble: He is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake
The Lord is great in Zion: He is high above all nations
Let them praise Your great and terrible Name: for holy is the Lord
The Mighty One is King, and loves justice: You have established equity, You have dealt righteousness and justice in Jacob.
O exalt the Lord our God: and bow down before His footstool for He is holy
Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who call upon His name: they called to the Lord and He answered.
He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud: they kept His teaching and the law that He gave them
You answered them, O Lord our God: You were a forgiving God to them, and pardoned their wrongdoing.
O exalt the Lord our God: and bow down towards His holy hill, for the Lord our God is holy.

Epistle 1 Thessalonians 1: 1 -10

Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.
We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know, brothers and sisters beloved by God, that he has chosen you, because our message of the gospel came to you not in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of persons we proved to be among you for your sake. And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place your faith in God has become known, so that we have no need to speak about it. For the people of those regions report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath that is coming.

GOSPEL Matthew 22: 15 – 33

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?"
But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, "Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax." And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, "Whose head is this, and whose title?" They answered, "The emperor's." Then he said to them, "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's." When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.
The same day some Sadducees came to him, saying there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies childless, his brother shall marry the widow, and raise up children for his brother.' Now there were seven brothers among us; the first married, and died childless, leaving the widow to his brother. The second did the same, so also the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman herself died.
In the resurrection, then, whose wife of the seven will she be? For all of them had married her." Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is God not of the dead, but of the living." And when the crowd heard it, they were astounded at his teaching.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Old Testament
If you are more than a little bemused by that OT reading, do not be surprised. On the other hand, if you take a long hard look, maybe the ‘bells will begin to ring.’ One thing is reasonably clear in the passage – that JHWH is not going to let anyone – including Moses – dominate or dictate the agenda.
Had you lived in that day and age, most of the religions by which you were surrounded actually operated on the premise that the worshipper could manipulate the gods by performing the required ritual acts. In other words, that sort of worship was a matter of following certain patterns or rituals, the outcome of which was – so the story went! – that the gods were bound to respond accordingly. Compare that with what you already know of JHWH, and in particular with this passage. For all Moses’ push and shove, he was kept very much in his place. If that seems a little strange, then please ponder a moment or two.
You will be quite familiar with the Hebrew perception (and your own) of God being holy; this was epitomized by the clear understanding that if anyone saw JHWH, then death was the immediate prospect. Put into more conventional language it meant that He was not there to be trifled with. No one could (or can) manipulate God even when the NT offers us the chance to call Him ‘Daddy,’ Abba, Father. One had and has to take Him seriously or not at all.
With all due respect, this is an aspect of reality that modern Christians need to recover. God is for real, and justice is for real, and integrity is for real. We can try and manipulate those things, but – try it if you dare - it will all explode in your face. Do you catch sight now of what is being conveyed and underlined?

Psalm
And now, of course, you can catch clear sight of what the Psalmist is presenting. Here is no propaganda about God; when you realize that all that is true and solid and lasting – as we have seen above – stems from and is represented by God, it gives quite some certainty and promise for the future regardless of how bleak that future might look. Hate might confront you, but love will defeat it in the final analysis.

Epistle
I wonder if many people reading this Epistle recognize the nature of the change for those people that the Gospel represented. For most people, even Romans citizens, life would have been somewhat of an enormous risk, for few of the Jewish values of honesty and dependability, justice and truth, would have been available, or recognized, and certainly not valued..Never lose sight of the fact that such things are and remain products of the Gospel, - and of Judaism before that – for the entire Biblical Faith is, may I remind you, something that proffers a healing response to what many still call the ‘human dilemma.’

GOSPEL
These two cameos underline something that modern Christians could well stop and ponder. For too many such folk, enormous effort is expended trying to defend the faith, when so much of the attacks from people who either know little about the Faith or indicate such confused thinking that their illogic is really very sad. Jesus had little compunction about taking on antagonists, and I suspect had a certain amount of delight in pulling rugs out from under certain feet, so to speak.
That business about the coin is really rather telling, and actually widens the perception of anyone reading of the encounter. Here is no simple business of dividing sacred from secular but a far wider, all-embracing look and understanding of life.
For Jews, the presence of the Romans and their occupation of the country represented the sort of angst and anger that either Japanese or American occupation would produce in you! (Does that say anything to you about Afghanistan?) On the other hand, the Apostles could write in their epistles of respecting the ‘powers that be.’ For people of that age, even the detested Romans represented protection from any chaos that would result from collapse of any existing sort of rule. Maybe Rome was a lesser of two evils, but certainly lesser. In other words, if you are part of the community, country or culture, it is incumbent on you to pay your share of the cost of that.

On the other hand, the debate with the Sadducees was really remarkably pathetic. It bodes no one any good to try and draw an argument from hypothetic illustrations. That does not stop people from doing so, but it does underline the folly of it. Whilst there was always that aspect of early Jewish law that a brother was expected to take up the cause of any brother’s widow, - and people did so willingly and effectively – the casse as posited was ridiculous. Notice just how Jesus responded to it/

NOTES FOR A SERMON

Have I told you the story of the son of a colleague of mine who, many years ago now, was living off the fat of the land (well, not quite!) as his unemployment benefits managed to cope with his then rather minimal needs. While he would have preferred to receive more, his theory was that the country and culture to which he (sort of) belonged, was effete and passing away, and to it he offered neither allegiance nor support. It was around the time of the Vietnam War, which also got right under his skin, as it did for most of the rest of us.
So he expressed his total disgust at the status quo, and tore strips off his parents and the rest of us for being part of the ‘establishment.’ I questioned him about his inconsistency, as you might imagine. I have rarely been able to keep my trap shut when people propose baloney. – but you will not have noticed that, will you?
The young man reiterated his disgust at society and government – so I suggested that he should alter his way of operating. ‘How can you continue to accept your dole payments,’ I asked. ‘You are a parasite on the society you claim to despise. I have no problem with your point of view of Australia, but you are totally dishonest in living off the very society you despise. Either refuse the dole, and survive on your own, or change your attitude entirely.’
As you might imagine, the young man was livid! He exploded at me (as I hoped he would,) and tore strips of his parents, who were open-mouthed at me, not their son. But after he had a chance to think about it all, he had to see his own dishonesty. I am glad to report that, while it took a little while to occur, his direction in life changed dramatically, and he became a rather more useful member of the society he found he could not despise, in spite of its shortcomings.
If you consider this to be at a vast distance from those readings for today, I ask you to think again. If you consider this to have nothing to do with the holiness of God, I repeat the same request. Can you now see the clear and distinct link between that which is holy – truth, justice, equity, compassion and love, all of them characteristics of the Father, unchangeable and enormously valuable – and all that is other? ‘Between them is a great gulf fixed,’ you may recall from Jesus’ Parable of the rich man and Dives.
Go a step further: one of the common complaints of the people of God over the last few decades has been ‘where will it all end, Ron?’ as if the increase of ‘that other’ is somehow proof that God either no longer exists or is no longer capable of dealing with it all. Repeatedly I have pointed out that the reality is clear yet unexpected by many. The rise of evil in this world of ours is a constant experience of humans of almost whatever space and time, that the ‘faith once delivered’ has always and still does present an antidote, the antidote, so that whatever you seem to fear is actually proof of the relevance and purpose of the Gospel. Ponder that a while if you will. Like Abraham, you may not see the final denouement, but it will be there, sometime, someplace. As John expresses it in Revelation, though not in these words, evil has within itself the source and cause of its own destruction. The rescue is brought to fruition, not by force but by love. That is the scary bit.

2011-10-14T08:49:00.000+10:30

Sunday 16th October, 2011
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is back in action today!!!!

Collect for Today
Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: grant that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in proclaiming the cross to be the way that leads to life eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
TODAY’S READINGS
Exodus 33: 12—33 & 1 Thess. 1: 1—10 read by Araki family
GOSPEL Matthew 22: 15—33
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Ben L
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, the Swaby family, Yvonne Myers, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, Aileen Shepherd, Hal Shaw-Calverley. Olive Marston, Genevieve Forster, Kate Jennings and Blake Vause. Caroline Sweet has been in Hospital this week also.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Chloe Laycock, Sarah Morecroft
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY Valda & Wolf Seith
YEAR’S MIND— Miriam Lindley (2004) George Ridout (1993)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost
St. Francis of Asissi
Readings Romans 8: 8-25
GOSPEL Matthew 6: 25-34

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am at Pressley’s
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome. And don’t they make a lovely contribution as they sing during Communion.
MOTHERS’ UNION Branch meets at 2.00pm on the third Thursday of the month in the Germein Room. All are welcome.

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, visits and other types of assistance. Call Barb Capon 8278 3584 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814.

ANGLICARE CHRISTMAS CARDS
Cards for sale are displayed on the board in the foyer. Orders can be placed on that list but needs to be done by today please note.

SPRING CLEANING WORKING BEE WEEK....Mon 24th to Sat 29th Oct.
There are many annual “Spring Cleaning” jobs that need attending to here in our Church complex. In addition we are obliged by the Mitcham Council to have our extensive Church Grounds and car park bushfire ready! If you can help, please see the SELECT-A-JOB list in the foyer. Check the job of which you would like to take ownership and ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LIST! Our main Working Bee focus will be Sat 29th Oct. 9am -1pm, but for those families that have regular Saturday commitments, why not choose a day and time during the preceding week that suits you best.
We have been blessed with a beautiful church complex set in stunning grounds... let’s all work together during the last week of October to keep it that way. Craig Deane

SAMARITAN'S PURSE - OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
Will those still filling a Shoe Box for the above, and haven't brought it in today, then MUST bring it by next Sunday 23rd Oct. as they are being picked up during the coming week. Thanking everyone for their boxes and donations. Marlene Dixon

COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOC AGM to be held in the Church Hall at 5.30pm on 20th October. Guest Speaker. A light meal will be served afterwards. All welcome to attend. This group supports accommodation for young people in distress.

SPECIAL SERVICE 23rd October at 10am St. Francis’ Day. Bring your pets.

St. John’s Grammar will be using the Hall for exams from 31st October. From 8.30am to 5.00pm A list of dates and times is available in the foyer.

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Ron Keynes or Joy Campbell
Next Sunday Barb Capon or Ron Keynes

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Clare B Intercessor Warren
Sunday after Reader David C Intercessor Hal S-C

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Iris Downes Brass Bonney Tomlinson Cleaning Susan Lee

RONBLOG .... On today’s set readings

Have I told you the story of the son of a colleague of mine who, many years ago now, was living off the fat of the land (well, not quite!) as his unemployment benefits managed to cope with his rather minimal needs, reducing the load on his parents a little.. While he would have preferred to receive more, his theory was that the country and culture to which he (sort of) belonged, was effete and passing away, and to it he offered neither allegiance nor support. It was around the time of the Vietnam War, which also got right under his skin, as it did for many of the rest of us.
So he expressed his total disgust at the status quo, and tore strips off his parents and the rest of us for being part of the ‘establishment.’ I questioned him about his inconsistency, as you might imagine. I have rarely been able to keep my trap shut when people propose baloney—but you know that already! The young man reiterated his disgust at society and government – so I suggested that he should alter his way of operating.
‘How can you continue to accept your dole payments,’ I asked. ‘You are a parasite on the society you claim to despise. I have no problem with your point of view of Australia, but you are totally dishonest in living off the very society you despise. Either refuse the dole, and survive on your own, or change your attitude entirely.’
As you might imagine, the young man was livid! He exploded at me (as I hoped he would,) and tore strips of his parents, who were open-mouthed at me, not their son. But after he had a chance to think about it all, he had to see his own dishonesty. I am glad to report that, while it took a little while to occur, his direction in life changed dramatically, and he became a rather more useful member of the society he found he could not despise, in spite of its shortcomings.
If you consider this to be at a vast distance from those readings for today, I ask you to think again. If you consider this to have nothing to do with the holiness of God, I repeat the same request. Can you now see the clear and distinct link between that which is holy – truth, justice, equity, compassion and love, all of them characteristics of the Father, unchangeable and enormously valuable – and all that is other? Holy has as a root meaning “different -” that is different from what one might expect from humans.

****************************************************************
Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-10-07T09:47:00.001+10:30

Sunday 9th October, 2011 Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
This is the God for Whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation Isaiah 25:9

Collect
Almighty God, in Your wisdom You have so ordered our daily lives that we must walk by faith and not by sight; give us such a trust in Your fatherly care, that in the face of all perplexities, we may give proof of our faith by the courage of our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Exodus 32: 1 – 14

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
Aaron said to them, "Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mould, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the LORD." They rose early the next day, and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.
The LORD said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff- necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."
But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, 'I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Psalm 106: 1 – 6 & 20 – 24

Praise the Lord; O give thanks to the Lord for He is good: and His mercy endures for ever
Who can express the mighty acts of the Lord: or fully voice His praise?
Blessed are those who act according to justice: who at all times do the right
Remember me O Lord, when You visit Your people with Your favour: and come to me also with Your salvation
That I may see the prosperity of Your chosen: that I may rejoice with the rejoicing of Your people, and exlt with those who are Your own.
We have sinned like our ancestors: we have acted perversely and done wrong

At Horeb they made themselves a calf: and bowed down in worship to an image
And so they exchanged the glory of God: for the likeness of an ox that eats hay
They forgot God Who was their saviour: that had done such great things in Egypt
Who had worked His wonders in the Land of Ham: and His terrible deeds at the Red Sea
Therefore He thought to destroy them: had not Moses His servant stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath from destroying them.

Epistle Philippians 4: 1 - 9

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved. I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

GOSPEL Matthew 22: 1 – 14

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.' But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his slaves, 'The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are chosen."

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Old Testament
I have often wondered why some people seem to desire or even demand the office of Bishop! I am sure that Moses would have been quite glad for someone else to lead that recalcitrant Hebrew mob! Like most moderns, their patience was non-existence and demanded immediate answers to their problems. And before anyone these days mocks the idolatry of those ancients, it must be said that like impatience, idolatry is alive, well and thriving in today’s world too. Few realize that this is why prices are so huge and houses so vast – and SUVs and 4WDs flood city streets.

[Before you take to heart the concept that ‘God changed His mind,’ please stop and see that such a comment comes from the perception of those who recorded the incident. So much of the problems people seem to have with the Old Testament presentation of the nature and activity of God stems from the perception of the time. It takes most humans quite some time to let go of their baggage and move forward.]

This is not a pretty picture of Israel, but then, like the rest of us, they were not exactly faithful nor reliable. In spite of all that had been done for them, they remained intransigent. Small wonder that they spent that generation or two in the desert. (I would have left them there forever!!!!!)

Psalm
Thank God for people like those who wrote the psalms, or more particularly, those Old Testament prophets, who spent rather more time thinking and praying and pondering about life and God and all that happened. A very different position and possibility emerges from those old writings. Thank God for people who stop and ponder, eh!

Epistle
For anyone still struggling with the Ordination of Women, please ponder these words of the Apostle. Most of the issues that required change and development in New Testament times did not have rules and regulations to require growth. The process was rather – like psalmist and prophet – to express the situation and the value of it.
Oddly enough, no one to my knowledge has any difficulty with the second paragraph of this beautiful epistle. Whatsoever is true, honourable, just and so on surely must resonate in every human heart that reads this – and each time it comes up before me, I still see how much further along that road I need to travel -- don’t you?

GOSPEL
Now please do stop and see that parables are parables, and are not hide-bound. That angry King is not to be compared to God, but to what one would expect of ‘royalty’ of that day and age. The point of the story is simply to underline the extraordinary capacity of human beings to ignore the important and prefer the mediocre. You have seen that constantly, have you not? Perhaps you have even travelled that path.
And that business of the wedding robe may need some explanation as well. The story goes that at such a wedding, all the guests were given wedding robes by the host; and that indicated that this guest was unwilling to accept the robe, requiring attendance on his own terms. Hence the position of host was assumed by the guest, and that was not an acceptable option. Invitations, as in the Gospel, are by grace not by demand, so the interloper was cast out - in the story.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

In the world in which we now live, there is an increasing distance from what we older people may describe as the way things were. None of us are sufficiently naive as to imagine things were totally acceptable then, for that is far from the case. But – as I think I have inferred in previous weeks – the ancient verities were acknowledged by the greater part of the population. There was little dispute about where truth and justice lay, and honesty could be expected from other people. None of us were much better off than others, at least as I encountered people, and in those days even houses were not locked unless we were on holidays. Go back far enough, and early model motor cars did not even have keys for doors or ignition. (This is post World War II mind, not the Dark Ages.)

Except in fairly rare instances, even idolatry was not an issue. In fact, even as children and young adults, we would look back to OT times and wonder how people could be so stupid as to worship things!!! That matter has resolved in the affirmative for a long time since those halcyon days.

How did all this arise? Well, after some thought on the subject, it seems to me that today’s readings – a little like last week – focus on issues that are of huge importance to the Christian person, but of rapidly decreasing value to – dare I say the usual person? I guess there is some unfairness there, but so much of today’s society seems bound to the direction of ‘gimme, gimme, gimme,’ that things assume a far vaster value than people. Mind you I find it hard to understand why even some Christians these days follow the ‘gimme’ path, to their detriment as well as to others around them.

In fact it may not be too much to suggest that Generations X and Y would regard today’s readings as naive and passé and valueless. So are we chasing the wrong dream? To my mind, closer examination would suggest strongly otherwise.

If I want to get on top of you, to use you to my own advantage, or even to make sure you get out of my way, then it may be the case that current ways of operating would produce the best results. Mind you, the outcome would be the breakdown of any relationship or connection between us, but if I am selfish enough, that would not matter. But if I wanted my family to remain connected and communicating, if I was interested in maintaining connection with neighbours and others around about, then it would mean that I would have to operate in a very different way indeed.
Different. Now there is a word. Are you aware that that ancient and well-used (or was once) word ‘holy’ has as it root meaning different. Not different as in snotty-nosed; but different in terms of not the human norm. That is why Isaiah reports of God that ‘My ways are not your ways’ – not because God’s ways are unapproachable, but because they are unexpectedly true and honest and compassionate. Certainly they are not normal human ways.

So that idolatry of Aaron’s time had to do with the expectation that Israel deserved and demanded immediate action from whatever god was available, and bugger the realities. Old-time religion – real old-time - saw itself as being able to manipulate the gods and goddesses to do what the worshippers required. It was ‘cargo cult’ sort of stuff. That in my lifetime used to be the province of natives of New Guinea or somewhere else like that. Actually I suspect that they caught it from ‘advanced’ societies, like the USA. Or from Australians.

So as Christians we are called to be different, again not to be smarmy or snotty-nosed about it, but because we are aware that the idolatry of the present age does nothing other than draw huge lines of division between rich and poor, haves and haves not, between developed countries and less-developed. And as in OT idolatry, it is worshipping that which is not nor never can be gods. It is living the lie. Sadly there is only one outcome from such a direction.

2011-10-07T09:46:00.000+10:30

Sunday 9th October, 2011
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Anglicare Sunday
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is in recess.

Collects for Today
Saving and healing God, You have promised that those who have died with Christ shall live with Him: grant us grace to be continually thankful for all You have done for us, and in that thankfulness to be eager to serve and live for others, so that we and all Your children may rejoice in Your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Collect - A prayer for Anglicare SA
God of Love, we pray for the daily work of Anglicare SA: for individuals, families and communities in whose life we share; for our colleagues, networks and supporters. May we strive together to work for justice, and show respect to every person we meet. May we freely share in your desire for fullness of life for all, in the present moment and in the time ahead. Amen.

TODAY’S READINGS Exodus 32: 1-14 & Philipp 4: 4—10 read by Max A
GOSPEL Matthew 22: 1—14
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Sue D-T
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, the Swaby family, Chris Contro, Yvonne Myers, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, Aileen Shepherd, Hal Shaw-Calverley and Olive Marston both of the latter seem to be doing rather better. ,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: James Raymond, Yvonne Myers, Lily Conlon
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Joyce Cook (1995) Maurice Paternoster (1995) Doris Caddy (2000) and Stan Shepherd (2007)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Readings Exodus 33: 12—33 and 1 Thess. 1: 1—10
GOSPEL Matthew 22: 15—33

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY 10am at Pressley’s from this Wednesday
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome. And don’t they make a lovely contribution as they sing during Communion.

MOTHERS’ UNION Branch meets at 2.00pm on the third Thursday of the month in the Germein Room. All are welcome.

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, visits and other types of assistance. Call Barb Capon 8278 3584 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814.

ANGLICARE CHRISTMAS CARDS
Cards for sale are displayed on the board in the foyer. Orders can be placed on that list but needs to be done by today please note.

COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOC AGM to be held in the Church Hall at 5.30pm on 20th October. Guest Speaker. A light meal will be served afterwards. All welcome to attend. This group supports accommodation for young people in distress.

SPECIAL SERVICE 23rd October at 10am St. Francis’ Day. Bring your pets. More detail forthcoming soon.

And St. John’s Grammar will be using the Hall for exams from 31srt October. A list if dates and times is available in the foyer.

Blackwood Church of Christ will be holding a special service at 10 o'clock on 23rd October for refugees living in our area; this service will include testimony from some who have just arrived and those who are just about to be granted citizenship. This will be an ecumenical service and it is hoped there will be representatives from the churches in the Mitcham Hills area.
POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Cynthia Macintosh or Don Caddy
Next Sunday Ron Keynes or Joy Campbell

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Araki family Intercessor Ben L
Sunday after Reader Clare B Intercessor Warren

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Marilyn Little Brass Joan Durdin
Cleaning Group 1

RONBLOG .... On today’s readings ...........

In the world in which we live, there is an increasing distance from what we older people may describe as the way things were. None of us are sufficiently naive as to imagine things were totally acceptable then, for that is far from the case. But – as I think I have inferred in previous weeks – the ancient verities were acknowledged by the greater part of the population. There was little dispute about where truth and justice lay, and honesty could be expected from other people. None of us were much better off than others, at least as I encountered people, and in those days even houses were not locked unless we were on holidays. Go back far enough, and early model motor cars did not even have keys for doors or ignition. (This is post World War II mind, not the Dark Ages.)

Except in fairly rare instances, even idolatry was not an issue. In fact, even as children and young adults, we would look back to OT times and wonder how people could be so stupid as to worship things!!! That matter has resolved in the affirmative for a long time since those halcyon days. It may not be images today, but idolatry is reigning supreme these days,is it not?

How did all this arise? Well, after some thought on the subject, it seems to me that today’s readings – a little like last week – focus on issues that are of huge importance to the Christian person, but of rapidly decreasing value to – dare I say much of the rest of the world? I guess there is some unfairness there, but so much of today’s society seems bound to the direction of ‘gimme, gimme, gimme,’ so that things assume a far vaster value than people. In fact it may not be too much to suggest that Generations X and Y would regard today’s readings as naive and passé and valueless. So are we chasing the wrong dream? To my mind, closer examination would suggest strongly otherwise.

****************************************************************
SAMARITAN'S PURSE - OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
Thank you to everyone who has filled a Shoe Box for Operation Christmas Child. Will you please return these to Church by the l6rh October (next week).
Thanking you Marlene Dixon.

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-10-01T07:57:00.002+09:30

Sunday 2nd October, 2011 Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes. Matt. 21:42

Collect
Almighty God, Your Son Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders and has been made the chief cornerstone; grant that, by the power of His Spirit working in us, we may become living stones built up into Your dwelling-place, a temple holy and acceptable to You; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Exodus 20: 1 – 4 ; 7-9 & 12-20

Then God spoke all these words: I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.
You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not acquit anyone who misuses his name. Remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work--you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.
Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour.
When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, and said to Moses, "You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die." Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin."

Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament declares His handiwork
One day tells it to another: and night to night communicates knowledge
There is no speech or language: nor are their voices heard
Yet their sound has gone out through all the world: and their words to the ends of the earth
There He has pitched a tent for the sun: which comes out as a bridegroom from his chamber, and rejoices as a strong man to run his course
Its rising is at one end of the heavens, and its circuit to their farthest bound: and nothing is hid from its heat
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul: the command of the Lord is true, and makes wise the simple
The precepts of the LORD are right, and rejoice the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, and gives light to the eyes
The fear of the LORD is clean, and endures forever: the judgements of the Lord are unchanging and righteous every one.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold: sweeter also than honey, than the honey that drips from the honeycomb
Moreover, by them is your servant taught: and in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can know their own unwitting sins?: O cleanse me from my secret faults.
Keep your servant also from presumptuous sins: lest they get the mastery over me: so I shall be clean and innocent of great offence.
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight: O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Epistle Philippians 3: 4b – 14

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ.
More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL Matthew 21: 33-46

Jesus said, "Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance." So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."
Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.
They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS
Old Testament
It is almost impossible to know where to begin (and even to finish!) with this most formative of Biblical passages, not only for Christians but far more for Jewish people. Here is no negative statement as abhorred by many, but one of the most freeing of concepts.
Sadder for Anglican Christians, in a way, is the fact that, until a handful of decades ago, each and every one of them would have known the Decalogue off by heart. At every celebration of the Eucharist, these ancient words were repeated. Sunday by Sunday, the code was embedded deeply into the psyche of everyone. Sadly, though, not a lot of explanation was offered with it. I remember one dear Bishop of mine pointing out, 40 odd years ago, that the prescription ‘was never designed to be a rod with which to beat people, Ron, but rather a pointer showing the way towards life at its most creative and redemptive.’ We ignore the whole thing to our peril as humans, and one would have to add that recent Australian – and world! –experience indicates the chaos that ensues from disregarding the Ten Commandments.

Psalm
In the light of a Christian (?) world that has done little but castigate the sinner, this rather lovely and thought-provoking psalm offers a balance that rather too few manage to espy or embrace. This author did not see God’s rules of whatever source as demanding, restricting and damaging, but rather, like the rules of a game or sport, giving shape, substance and direction to life as experienced by all humans. Yes, there are boundaries, but they are redemptive and freeing, --- and that is no play on words. The Decalogue is a fuller expression of the Shema Israel which focuses on the call to love God and love one’s neighbour.

Epistle
Because we do not live in the world of the First Century AD, it is not easy to understand the dichotomy through which Paul passed to understand Jesus. For him in his Pharisaic life, Law was everything; the Decalogue and the rest of the Torah, was all there was. One needs to say at this distance, that such a ‘religion’ is little less than a distortion of the faith into a life-and-death competition. (Very sadly, centuries of Christians have tended to reduce the living faith into something remarkably similar.)
Notice the strong language that Paul uses, not so much about the then current Judaic Faith, but about its distortion. In this translation the word used is ‘rubbish.’ Make no mistake about it; the Greek original uses the word ‘excrement’ – sh1t, if you don’t mind. Here is no impoliteness; rather it is enormous emphasis.
Now catch sight of the huge relief and promise that Paul saw in the Person he had heretofore despised.

GOSPEL
There would not have been a Jewish person present on the day that Jesus offered this parable who would not have known the genesis and emphasis of this tale. From Isaiah on, this story was taken up a number of times over the centuries, indicating first the prophets, and then Jesus, in their attempt to get Israel sit up, listen and respond to what, in their heart of hearts, they knew to be true.
Here is one of the tragedies of the human will and mind, that what appears more amendable at the time tends to be seen as superior to whatever truth was being conveyed. It is small wonder that the real progress of the Gospel is so minimal and slow.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

Early in this Long Weekend of October 2010, as I wrote all this, news broke of the utter waste and tragedy for several families as four or more lives were lost in a road accident at Bilpin in the mountains west of Sydney. It would appear that the driver of a car went out to overtake on the bending and narrow Bell’s Line of Route, that I have travelled often. One assumes that a double line was crossed, and the accident occurred. How often do people take that sort of risk, getting away with it. But why is the solid line there?
The answer is that such warnings are not there to limit people’s freedom, but to extend the safety of all of us. Road rules, I kept saying to schoolchildren in Scripture classes, are not there to limit BUT TO FREE. If we were allowed to travel on whatever side of the road we liked, the human road kill each year would be geometrically larger than it is. Believe me.
Or I used to use the discussion of why netball and football and cricket have rules, as do all sports. It is not easy to play a game of no rules and no limits, for the outcome would be quite dangerous chaos. Kids recognized that, even in Primary Scripture classes. And one of the most remarkable and positive short statements of what is important in life (not just in religion!) is the Shema Israel. The Two Great Commandments. At least that remains as important in the Anglican Liturgy, thanks to our Hebrew predecessors.

It was not always thus: that passage from Exodus reveals, to me at least, that the children of the exodus still had a lot of catching up to do. In their day and age, the gods were to be feared, or so they thought, as did everyone else back then. Whilst, like younger children, they needed to be surrounded by protective rules, they would discover as time went by, that response needed not to come from fear, but from understanding: if I cannot trust you, and you cannot trust me, then life becomes rather fearfully chaotic. And God and chaos are contradistinctive.

Only this afternoon, my middle daughter, my wife and I had a strong discussion about the Faith. Actually not so much about the Faith as about some Christians turning this living faith into a set of rules, which like the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be changed. You will have encountered, surely, the unbending and rigid approach to life and relationships posed by some so-called Christians. (Unless you fit my sausage-skin, you are out!!!!) This has nothing to do with the faith; this has everything to do with control, and rigid control at that. It is that sort of ‘religion’ that the Apostle turned his back on, for at last he saw it in its real colours. If I have to kill you to prove that I am right, then I have done nothing but prove the exact OPPOSITE.

The real point at issue is that the ancient document of the Decalogue is really very far from passé, but remains remarkably relevant in spite of the passage of millennia. It may feel so for some who regard God as irrelevant but even then my tentative answer to such folk is to consider truth and justice and compassion with God, for that is what He represents, let’s face it. In that situation, the arguments simply fade away, do you see?

The terrible human reality is that the further people move from God, the more they move from each other. And the more they move from each other, the closer comes the chaos that even the ancients feared. I have just listened to a radio report on SA ABC of a home invasion in a suburb south of Adelaide. This apparently random attach was vicious, and totally careless of the people robbed. It would seem, too, that the attackers must have had no concern or pride in themselves. With the rapid increase in such events, there seems to be increasing evidence of that claim I have just made. I consider myself most fortunate to have grown up in a very different world indeed, where, while Church-going might not have been all the prevalent, the values of Church and faith were held by the vast majority of people.

So I suggest that anyone who knocks the Ten Commandments would need to have some remarkably solid grounds for doing so.

2011-10-01T07:57:00.001+09:30

Sunday 2nd October, 2011

Do not get caught out with the change to Daylight Saving – we are all on an hour earlier

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School is in recess until after the School holidays

Collect for Today
Almighty God, Your Son Jesus was the stone rejected by the builders, and, by Your doing, He has been made the chief cornerstone: grant that, by the power of His Spirit working in us, we may become living stones built up into your dwelling place, a temple holy and acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
;TODAY’S READINGS Exodus 20: 1 …20 & Philipp. 3: 4b—14 read by Mary V
GOSPEL Matthew 21: 33—46
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Sue D-T
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, the Swaby family, Chris Contro, Yvonne Myers, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, Hal Shaw-Calverley and Olive Marston,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— Marjorie Norton, (1990) Jo Halstead (1995) Pat Trebilcock (2005) Mary WILLOUGHBY (1990)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Readings Exodus 32: 1-14 & Philipp 4: 4—10
GOSPEL Matthew 22: 1—14

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY restarts this Wednesday 5th October
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MAGAZINE COMMITTEE - Advent issue in preparation
MOTHERS’ UNION Branch meets at 2.00pm on the third Thursday of the month in the Germein Room. All are welcome.

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, visits and other types of assistance. Call Barb Capon 8278 3584 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814.

FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE— Next Service
Helpers are reminded that Sunday 9th October is our final day for the year for visiting the wards and taking patients to the chapel service. This is also a call for more helpers to be involved—it is only four times a year. Contact Jean Fordham.
Dates for 2012 are 8th January, 8th April, 8th July and 14th October.

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Min Araki or Ron Keynes
Next Sunday Cynthia Macintosh or Don Caddy

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Max A Intercessor Mary V
Sunday after Reader Araki family Intercessor Ben L
SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Audrey & Graham Baines Brass Margaret Carruthers
Cleaning Susan Lee

RONBLOG .... On today’s Old Testament Lesson Ten Commandments

It is almost impossible to know where to begin (and even to finish!) with this most formative of Biblical passages, not only for Christians but far more for Jewish people. Here is no negative statement as abhorred by many, but one of the most freeing of concepts.
Sadder for Anglican Christians, in a way, is the fact that, until a handful of decades ago, each and every one of us would have known the Decalogue off by heart. At every celebration of the Eucharist, these ancient words were repeated. Sunday by Sunday, the code was embedded deeply into the psyche of everyone. Sadly, though, not a lot of explanation was offered with it. I remember one dear Bishop of mine pointing out, 40 odd years ago, that the prescription ‘was never designed to be a rod with which to beat people, Ron, but rather a pointer showing the way towards life at its most creative and redemptive.’ We ignore the whole thing to our peril as humans, and one would have to add that recent Australian – and world! –experience indicates the chaos that ensues from disregarding the Ten Commandments.
Early in the Long Weekend of October 2010, as I wrote all this, news broke of the utter waste and tragedy for several families as four or more lives were lost in a road accident at Bilpin in NSW.. It would appear that the driver of a car went out to overtake on the bending and narrow Bell’s Line of Route, that I have travelled often. One assumes that a double line was crossed, and the accident occurred. How often do people take that sort of risk, getting away with it. But why is the solid line there?
The answer is that such warnings are not there to limit people’s freedom, but to extend the safety of all of us. Road rules, I kept saying to schoolchildren in Scripture classes, are not there to limit BUT TO FREE. If we were allowed to travel on whatever side of the road we liked, the human road kill each year would be geometrically larger than it is. Believe me.
Or I used to use the discussion of why netball and football and cricket have rules, as do all sports. It is not easy to play a game of no rules and no limits, for the outcome would be quite dangerous chaos. Kids recognized that, even in Primary Scripture classes. And one of the most remarkable and positive short statements of what is important in life (not just in religion!) is the Shema Israel. The Two Great Commandments. At least that remains as important in the Anglican Liturgy, thanks to our Hebrew predecessors.

****************************************************************
SAMARITAN'S PURSE - OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD. Time once again to fill a shoe box for the Operation Christmas Child Appeal. Boxes available in the Foyer. More Information from Marlene Dixon. Boxes need to be returned by the beginning of October.—one week to go

Chaplaincy Support
Ross Hill-Brown is asking for donations towards the Inter-Church Council efforts to provide Year 7 children with an information pack as they prepare for High School. A plate to receive donations will be in the Narthex today, so please give generously.

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please …….

RonBlog

2011-09-23T12:18:00.001+09:30

Sunday 25th September, 2011 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
Come, let us return to the Lord, that we may live before Him Hosea 6:1a & 2b

Collect
Grant, O merciful God, that Your people may have the mind that was in Christ Jesus, who emptied Himself and took the form of a servant and in humility became obedient even to death; for You have highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, Jesus Christ the Lord; Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God in everlasting glory. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Exodus 17: 1 – 7

From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarrelled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?" But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?"
So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me."
The LORD said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarrelled and tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us or not?"

Psalm 78: 1 – 4 & 11 – 16

Give heed to my teaching, O my people: incline your ears to the words of my mouth
For I will open my mouth in a parable: and expound the mysteries of former times.
What we have heard and known: what our forebears have told us
We will not hide from their children, but declare to a generation yet to come: the praiseworthy acts of the Lord, His mighty and wonderful works.

For He did marvellous things in the sight of their ancestors: in the land of Egypt, in the country of Zoan.
He divided the sea and let them pass through: He made the waters stand up in a heap.
In the daytime He led them with a cloud: and all night long, with the light of fire.
He cleft rocks in the wilderness: and gave them drink in abundance as from springs of water.
He brought streams out of the rock: and caused the waters to flow down like rivers.
But for all this they sinned yet more against Him: and rebelled against the Most High in the desert.

Epistle Philippians 2: 1 – 13

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

GOSPEL Matthew 21: 23 - 32

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS
I am rude enough to wonder why Psalm 95 was not set for today – the Psalm that was always set for Morning Prayer in the old BCP. It depicted the folly of Israel in the desert and made a great thing about ‘Massah and Meribah.’

Old Testament Lesson
Always be ready to draw more than the obvious conclusion from this incident: whilst water would have been a desperate need, it was parallel to the other huge need of Israel, that which was represented by Horeb – Sinai – the Law including the Decalogue. It was not just need of water that Israel had, but also need of direction, need of discipline, need of hope.
I have long suspected that the apparently increasing disaster of our own day and age lies in the same lacks amongst rather too great a proportion of our population. My wife finds watching the news each evening an increasing strain on her concern. The steep increased in violent crime, even in quiet old Adelaide, is the same issue that was facing Israel back then. That is not to stand in judgement at all; it is a tragedy of enormous proportion and requires clear and significant attention immediately. ‘Law and order’ is not the issue! Purpose, value and point to life is!

Psalm
Although I understand it easily enough, the discarding of the very idea of God is that which produces the problems mentioned above. No God does not mean no god. It means I usurp the position of God, and relegate you to virtual non-existence, or at least no importance, so I stand on your shoulders to demand attention before anyone or anything else. When a society reaches such a stage, its collapse under its own weight is not all that far away.

Epistle
And here lies the remedy to it all. This is no pious, other-worldly poetry; here is the Gospel at its most potent and significant. ‘Law and order’ mentioned above is all about power; and a moment’s thought indicates the harsh and destructive outcome from that. I have recently pondered to what extent today’s political situation is a sort of precursor to the Nazi regime of the 1930s. What started off as the answer to Germany’s problem became a nightmare of extraordinary proportion. And it all had to do with power. On the other hand, here we are confronted with a Lord Who offers such a diametrically different approach to those savage issues. Here is no imposition of power and force, but compulsion, if you like to call it that, of love. If we had no other part of the New Testament than this, we would still have a clear picture of the goal, point and purpose of the Faith. That is to meet that awful human dilemma, and offer a valid, active and relevant alternative. Mind you, neither Jesus nor we are likely to win popularity stakes from most people. But that does not make it irrelevant.

Gospel

‘By what authority?’ Well, do these passages for today ring some bells, and all similar ones at that! Take time to ponder this reading if you will, and see what is being expressed. Chief priests and elders were there to challenge Jesus, for they saw in Him a direct challenge to their power and prestige. And in a way, Jesus was nothing of the sort. Stop and notice that Jesus’ real answer to the challenge before Him was to point to ....... truth.
Stop and ponder that a moment eh? Even the tiny cameo of the two sons actually revolves around that issue: what should a person do? There might well be the internal struggle to prove one’s strength – but the real response to any situation is to respond truly.

NOTES FOR A SERMON
We have travelled this way before, and every time this Philippians passage is there for the reading, I get the urge to underline the majestic power (because it is true) of this Gospel in a nutshell. Here is no pious crap! Here is where the rubber really hits the road.

Ask anyone where real power truly lies, and you will get all sorts of answers. Barak Obama, President of the USA, is supposed to be the most powerful person in the world right now, and that assumption stems from the fact that the US military is said and supposed to be the most potent. The American dollar is said to be likewise. Actually this was written quite a while ago, and it is interesting to underline that those assumptions of power and strength have shown up to be somewhat otherwise. Talk about ‘feet of clay!’ Or do you not know that Biblical story either?

Oddly enough, it was from the U S of A that the World Financial Crisis emerged, and went rather close to bringing the almighty Yank, dollar and nation, - indeed, the planet! - down. But don’t focus there only – wherever we humans decide that the answer to any problem is force, of arms, of finance or even of personality, the outcome remains the same. No resolution emerges, and the issue becomes more grave.

So why do we humans not ever learn? I suspect the answer lies in the fact that humans never seem to learn, or that those who do remain in the minority. All of this is not a religious question but an immensely practical one. It is not limited to one culture or country; it is totally widespread. And yet an answer has been posited in Scripture at the very least since the time of the major prophets, or however long or short a time it was before that when the Creation Stories of Genesis were completed in their present form.

The picture presented by Paul in this magnificent passage from Philippians, may well have been a Christian hymn at the time of Paul’s writing. It is a vivid parallel or contrast between ‘adam’ – humanity, you will understand, and Jesus. As outlined above, humanity for ever grapples with the demand to be kingpin and boss, subjugating whoever happens to be around the place, demanding obedience and threatening extinction. Contrast that with Jesus Who came as Servant of all, not in order to be nice and naive, but in order to underline the fact that the only way life can be enhanced and real progress made is by each serving the other, by reconciling by the truth, by caring about the health and wealth of each and every one of us. It may seem to be an impossible dream, but it is presented as the ‘only way to go.’

As far as I know, no one has ever attempted to apply this process on a wide scale, except Jesus. Sadly, though, whilst much of the Faith has been taken on board by millions they tell me, one does not hear a great deal about this aspect of the Faith, this aspect of life. Small wonder that opponents of faith and of the Faith tend to regard both as useless. Not a lot of us are all that capable of expressing the Faith in any conflict or disagreement with others.

Ever since first being exposed to the Servant Songs of Isaiah (and that would be over 50 years ago!) the real point and purpose of the Biblical Faith came to light. And it does not have to do with the dear bye and bye, but the right here and now. That fact may well be why so many Christians avoid the immediate issues of justice and truth and reconciliation. Oddly, that is what the Cross is all about – so there can be no excuse really.

With a little bit of luck, this may encourage people to look with fresh eyes at this Gospel which majors, not on heaven, but on offering this hurting and hurt humanity to find the path to peace. There is no peace without justice and truth, so quite some of the responsibility falls on each and every one of us.

2011-09-23T12:17:00.001+09:30

Sunday 25th September, 2011
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
WELCOME to Holy Innocents—we hope you enjoy this time of prayer as we reflect on Scripture together and celebrate the Eucharist. After the 8am service breakfast is served and morning tea after the 10am service. At 10 am everything in the service will be screened on the walls. Sunday School will continue today – the last time till after the School holidays

Collects for Today
Grant, O merciful God, that Your people may have that mind that was in Christ Jesus, Who emptied Himself, and took the form of a servant, and in humility became obedient even to death. For You have highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, Jesus Christ, the Lord; Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, in everlasting glory. Amen.
Collect for a Martyr - Bishop John Patterson—New Guinea
Almighty God, Who gave to Your servant John boldness to confess the name of Jesus Christ, and courage to die for this faith; teach us always to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord and Saviour; Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever Amen
TODAY’S READINGS Exodus 17: 1—7 and Philippians 2 read by Mary V
GOSPEL Matthew 21:23 –32
Fr Ron’s Notes available at http://www.anglican-belair.blogspot.com/

PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE led by Sue D-T
We pray for those in need: Ron Teague, Peter Little, the Swaby family, Chris Contro, Yvonne Myers, Jenny Jeffrey, Dorothy Furnival, and Olive Marston,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Gary Campbell, Sue Harry, Thomas Downes
HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
YEAR’S MIND— John Newland (1987) Trevor Tomlinson (2002) Edie Schmidt (2001)

PREPARATION FOR NEXT SUNDAY Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Readings Exodus 20: 1 –4 & 7—9 12—20 and Philipp. 3: 4b—14
GOSPEL Matthew 21: 33—46

REGULAR GROUPS AND BOOKINGS
PRAYER CIRCLE meets noon on the 2nd Tuesday each month at 36 Penno Parade North
BIBLE STUDY in recess until 5th October
THURSDAY 9.30am Eucharist
SINGING GROUP Meets after the 10am service each Sunday. All singers welcome.
MAGAZINE COMMITTEE - Advent issue in preparation
MOTHERS’ UNION Branch meets at 2.00pm on the third Thursday of the month in the Germein Room. All are welcome.

HELPLINE
Part of being a Christian community is the support offered to each other in times of need. We offer short-term delivery of food where needed, local transport, phone calls, visits and other types of assistance. Call Barb Capon 8278 3584 and Lucinda Hale 8278 8814.

FLINDERS MEDICAL CENTRE— Next Service
Helpers are reminded that Sunday 9th October is our final day for the year for visiting the wards and taking patients to the chapel service. This is also a call for more helpers to be involved—it is only four times a year. Contact Jean Fordham.
Dates for 2012 are 8th January, 8th April, 8th July and 14th October.

POWERPOINT ROSTER –
Today Barb Capon or Trevor Tregenza
Next Sunday Cynthia Macintosh or Don Caddy

READER- AND INTERCESSOR ROSTER
Next Sunday Reader Max A Intercessor Mary V
Sunday after Reader Araki family Intercessor Ben L

SANCTUARY ROSTER
Next week Flowers Jan T Brass Rosemary Conlon
Cleaning Group 5

RONBLOG .... On today’s Epistle
We have travelled this way before, and every time this Philippians passage is there for the reading, I get the urge to underline the majestic power (because it is true) of this Gospel in a nutshell. Here is no pious crap! Here is where the rubber really hits the road.
Ask anyone where real power truly lies, and you will get all sorts of answers. Barak Obama, President of the USA, is supposed to be the most powerful person in the world right now, and that assumption stems from the fact that the US military is supposed to be the most potent. The American dollar Oddly enough, it was from the U S of A that the World Financial Crisis emerged, and went rather close to bringing the almighty Yank, dollar and nation, down.
The picture presented by Paul in this magnificent passage from Philippians, may well have been a Christian hymn at the time of Paul’s writing. It is a vivid parallel or contrast between ‘adam’ – humanity, you will understand, and Jesus. As outlined above, humanity for ever grapples with the demand to be kingpin and boss, subjugating whoever happens to be around the place, demanding obedience and threatening extinction. Contrast that with Jesus Who came as Servant of all, not in order to be nice and naive, but in order to underline the fact that the only way life can be enhanced and real progress made is by each serving the other, by reconciling by the truth, by caring about the health and wealth of each and every one of us. It may seem to be an impossible dream, but it is presented as the ‘only way to go.’
As far as I know, no one has ever attempted to apply this process on a wide scale, except Jesus. Sadly, though, whilst much of the Faith has been taken on board by millions they tell me, one does not hear a great deal about this aspect of the Faith, this aspect of life. Small wonder that opponents of faith and of the Faith tend to regard both as useless. Not a lot of us are all that capable of expressing the Faith in any conflict or disagreement with others.
Ever since first being exposed to the Servant Songs of Isaiah (and that would be over 50 years ago!) the real point and purpose of the Biblical Faith came to light. And it does not have to do with the dear bye and bye, but the right here and now. That fact may well be why so many Christians avoid the immediate issues of justice and truth and reconciliation. Oddly, that is what the Cross is all about – so there can be no excuse really. With a little bit of luck, this may encourage people to look with fresh eyes at this Gospel which majors, not on heaven, but on offering this hurting and hurt humanity to find the path to peace. There is no peace without justice and truth, so quite some of the responsibility falls on each and every one of us.
****************************************************************

SAMARITAN'S PURSE - OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD. Time once again to fill a shoe box for the Operation Christmas Child Appeal. Boxes available in the Foyer. More Information from Marlene Dixon. Boxes need to be returned by the beginning of October.—one week to go

PARISH DIRECTORY
The new issue is out, and in spite of every attempt otherwise, there have been several glitches, for which we can offer only apologies. There have even been families left off. If you require alterations to your entry please either (or both) write the details in the book for the purpose in the narthex or email Fr. Ron . It has been suggested that a short addendum be produced, and that seems a sensible way to go.

Items for the Newsletter need to be sent to Fr. Ron at 8298 7160 or ronpkeynes@internode.on.net by Tuesday afternoon please ……

RonBlog

2011-09-16T09:57:00.000+09:30

Sunday 18th September, 2011 Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Sentence
By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
Ephesians 28

Collect
Loving and righteous God, Your boundless generosity exceeds all that we can desire or deserve; liberate us from all jealousy and greed, that we may be free to love and serve others and in Your service, may find our true reward, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Old Testament Lesson Exodus 16: 2 – 15

The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him. The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?"
Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Yes." So the girl went and called the child's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages." So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, "because," she said, "I drew him out of the water."
One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and saw their forced labour. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his kinsfolk. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting; and he said to the one who was in the wrong, "Why do you strike your fellow Hebrew?" He answered, "Who made you a ruler and judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "Surely the thing is known." When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh. He settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well.

Psalm 105: 1 – 6 & 37 – 45

O give thanks to the Lord and call upon His name: tell among the peoples what things He has done
Sing to Him, O sing praises: and be telling of His marvellous works
Exult in His holy name: and let those that seek the Lord be joyful in heart.
Seek the Lord and His strength: O seek His face continually.
Call to mind what wonders He has done: His marvellous acts and the judgements of His mouth
O seed of Abraham His servant: O children of Jacob, His chosen one

He brought Israel out with silver and gold: and not one among their tribes was seen to stumble
Egypt was glad at their going: for dread of Israel had fallen upon them
He spread out cloud for a covering: and fire to lighten the night
The people asked, and he brought them quails: and satisfied them with the bread from heaven
He opened a rock so that the waters gushed: and ran in the parched land like a river
For He had remembered His holy word: that He gave to His servant Abraham
So he led His people out with rejoicing: His chosen ones with shouts of joy
He gave them the land of the nations: and they took possession of the fruit for which other peoples had toiled
So that they might keep His statutes: and faithfully obey His laws. O Praise the Lord

Epistle Philippians 1: 21 – 30

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.
Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents. For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well-- since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

GOSPEL Matthew 20: 1 – 16

Jesus said “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle all day?' They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.' When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.'
When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.
Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

© New Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. All rights reserved

NOTES ON THE READINGS

Old Testament
As last Sunday’s reading, this too may be relatively unknown to Generation X & Y, who mostly missed out on Sunday School. It is an interesting snippet of Hebrew history, showing that the preparation of Moses meant he experienced two or three cultures in his development as a human being. That is never a problem to people. Both his Hebrew and Egyptian backgrounds meant his was a wide range of perceptions, added to, obviously in his formation in the desert as a shepherd.
I may be a little twee, but I do have to comment that, as I look back on my formative years, the experience was not accidental, for each aspect of my life up to theological college was a form of preparation for ministry. Young people around me were interested in mechanical things; I began work in an accountant’s office, and then spent some years in the building game. Having both sets of grandparents on the land was part of the deal. Never be surprised, nor down-play apparently useless experience in early or even later life.

Psalm
Once again the choice of Psalm for today echoes the Exodus experience of Israel. Have you ever stopped to consider how carefully that nation was nurtured and directed by God -- for it was hardly the sort of group or people that one might choose as significant. It may well have been because Israel tended to be a minor player on the then world scene that evoked God’s interest in them. Bigger players would have had their own, essentially selfish agendas to follow.

Epistle
I find it rather fascinating to listen to St. Paul, who was obviously operating under considerable difficulty, with so many people of our present time, for whom life seems to be far more of a threat than a promise. Not only is suicide a sad issue for some, but violence is also becoming just as serious an issue. (If I consider myself to be of little value, I am most likely to see you as being far less important even than me!)
See in this passage Paul’s dilemma – life is valuable and yet, for him so is death. And out of that equation comes the Apostle’s encouragement – in a world rather more violent even than our own! – to get on with living as one of Christ’s people while still in a world that disregarded the Christ entirely. In this day and age, we need to get used to being disciples who need to ‘push wind uphill.’ That may remain so for several generations, but Christians have been there before, remember.

GOSPEL
Here is a parable of Jesus, with which my Mum had great difficulty. Unionist she never was, and would be appalled to be counted as such, but she could not come to terms with the apparent injustice of the work situation presented here.
One of the other things we need to get used to is the overwhelming generosity of the Father, for that is what is in view here. The whole picture needs to be put in its place of the first century AD. There the day-labourer was paid at the end of each day, and the life of his family was dependent on him totally to bring home that day’s pay. For without it, his family’s future was threatened! No food meant .... well, you can guess. (Just as an aside, for the familiar phrase from the Lord’s Prayer about ‘give us today our daily bread’ is not a correct translation from the Greek. There the reading is ‘give us today our bread for tomorrow.’ When that truer translation was used first in the draft Liturgy of 1966 in Australia, the uproar was enormous. But that is what the Greek original of the NT says. And why? That is all a person expected in that day and age. God would provide for tomorrow, but you have to trust Him for any time after that. (Contrast that with today’s emphasis on mortgaging today so that we are affluent tomorrow!)
Now all that may take some absorbing, so take some time. But see what this all says about the generosity of the Father, of the trust we need to have in Him, and the awareness of the needs of everyone in that whole process of staying alive and thriving.

NOTES FOR A SERMON

So the Christian Faith (and all others, apparently) is superstition, is it? It seems to me that all those who lay such claims have not examined whatever Faith that they castigate. There was nothing superstitious about the emphases of the prophets, as they plugged away for a just and true society and nation. And any good unionist of our day and age would have a fit over the parable you have just heard once again. A fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work has been turned upside down - into what a family needs should be the go. And there lies the rub, doesn’t it! That is a statement not a question. Life is about community, and community is about caring and sharing; and without such a direction and emphasis, we all become little more than competing individuals trying to get the better of all the rest.

And that is what the Faith is about; always has been and always will be. Love God; love your neighbour. If that is too much for the atheist, then simply substitute love what is true and just and honest and compassionate. And who could possibly complain about that? Not a hint of superstition is visible here.

There is not a lot to add, actually. Paul, writing to the Philippians, has the same thing to say, in spite of his awareness of the fact that Christians then were pushing the proverbial wind uphill. Antagonism to the Faith was enormous, even though that same Faith was there to provide substantial benefit to everyone around. To quote Paul again, ‘love is the fulfilling of the law;’ and ‘against such there is no law.’

Perhaps all one needs to do at this stage is to spend a short time pondering any changes needed in our attitudes and outlooks ... and then our actions.